Ministry Six
by blakekeane
Summary: Hermione falls at the Ministry and Harry finally has had enough. A much more unforgiving Harry, which results in the war ending much faster. Harry isn't a Horcrux. Pairings are Harry/Hermione , Neville/Ginny, Ron/Luna.
1. Chapter 1

**Ministry Six**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belongs to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters , places, etc. Initial few lines borrowed from OOTP but only for this chapter.

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**Chapter 1**

"Silencio!" cried Hermione, and the man's voice was extinguished. He continued to mouth through the hole in his mask, but no sound came out; he was thrust aside by his fellow Death Eater.

"Petrificus Totalus!" shouted Harry, as the second Death Eater raised his wand. His arms and legs snapped together and he fell forward, facedown onto the rug at Harry's feet, stiff as a board and unable to move at all.

"Well done, Ha —"

But the Death Eater Hermione had just struck dumb made a sudden slashing movement with his wand from which flew a streak of what looked like purple flame. It passed right across Hermione's chest.

She gave a tiny "oh!" as though of surprise and then crumpled onto the floor where she lay motionless.

"HERMIONE! NO!"

_Not her! Please not her!_

As he watched his best friend, the girl he had loved secretly for over 3 years fall, something snapped inside Harry Potter.

With a roar he turned towards the Death Eater who had dared to harm her and screamed "REDUCTO!"

The surprised Death Eater never had a chance as the curse slammed into his middle throwing him into a wall where he slid to the ground motionless.

He instantly turned towards Hermione and needles by her side, gathering her to his chest as he repeated her name over and over.

"Please don't leave me Hermione! Please! I can't live without you there beside me! I love you Hermione! Please!" he begged her, his tears dripping into her hair.

_I can't live without her. So might as well save her or die trying._

He'd always heard that magic was all about intent. This was when he found out. So he did the only he could. He pulled on his core as deeply as he could and pushed pure, raw magic through his hands to Hermione with only one thought in mind.

_Help Hermione._

He kept pushing with everything he had never noticing the blinding golden aura forming and enveloping the two of them. Slowly he watched as the damaged flesh knitted itself back together as he felt the drain. Suddenly there was another presence working in perfect harmony with his own magic to heal Hermione. With complete clarity he realized this was Hermione's own magic responding.

He watched with bated breath as the wound closed over and her eyelids fluttered open.

Hermione raised her head pressing her lips firmly to Harry's, neither noticing the golden aura flare even brighter. Harry, though surprised at first, quickly returned the kiss, pouring all the feelings he had for her into it. As they broke away and the aura dissipated , she cupped his cheek and said softly " I love you too Harry. And don't worry, I'm never leaving you alone."

They were brought back to reality sharply however as a door burst open and three death eaters ran in.

Neville, who Harry had forgotten was still there whipped his wand around covering Harry and Hermione.

He'd watched as death eaters struck down his friends and just like Harry, he'd had enough. They weren't sending tripping hexes and stunners so why should he?

As he brought his wand to bear on the newly arrived death eaters he shouted "Bombarda!" blasting the three apart. Harry quickly recovered from the shock of seeing the mild-mannered Neville Longbottom furiously striking down three death eaters at the same time and stood up pulling Hermione with him.

"Neville! That was awesome!" Harry said.

Neville turned to him with a wry grin. "Well if you can heal someone like that wandlessly like that I've got to do something impressive too, don't I?"

Hermione was flabbergasted. " Neville that could have killed them!"

" Hermione if we just stun them they'll just keep reviving each other. This way they stay down. And besides, I only disarmed them."

Harry snorted but agreed with Neville. " I've stunned several of them myself and you've done too. We can't have them coming back if we want a chance to escape."

Hermione reluctantly agreed to his logic walking over and using the flame curse to cauterize the wounds and then tied them up. " Alright then, cutting, piercing and blasting hexes but they don't need to die. Let's get Ron, Ginny and Luna and get the out of here. And Harry? We'll discuss what happened later ok?" she said, smiling softly at him.

"Are you sure you're okay? You were just cursed horribly." he asked her worriedly.

"I'm feeling perfectly wonderful now thanks to you. Whatever you did was great. Really." she said still smiling.

He smiled back at her, grasping her hand and starting towards the door. "Neville, we''ll go first, you cover us alright?"

Neville nodded and the three of them started off. Luckily they found all the other three in the very next room and breathed a sigh of relief. Luna looked fine and Ginny was sporting a twisted ankle. They were trying to support Ron between who looked slightly punch drunk. "Hey Harry! You know we saw Uranus? Get it? Uranus? Ha ha.. ", he said

"We were in a room with planets. I think he got hit in the head with one .", Luna said helpfully.

Hermione sighed. "We'll have to leave it till we get back to Hogwarts. I'll fix Ginny's ankle. Episkey. ", she said pointing her wand at the redheads ankle.

_'I wonder if Harry can fix him like he did me? ' _Hermione thought.." I don't think so Hermione. I don't know how I did it. I dont want to risk messing him up more. Ron should be fine for now though." Harry said absently, still looking at the boy in question.

Hermione turned to Harry, eyes wide.

'_Harry? Can you hear me?' _she thought at him.

"Yes of course. Why wouldn't I?" he asked her as he turned towards her, confused, to see the four other still sane members of his group staring at him open-mouthed.

'_ Maybe because I didn't say it out loud?' _she asked mentally.

'_Oh. Well this is new. Guess we have one more thing to discuss later love.' _he said grinning.

Hermione shook her head, smiling at him. "Only you Harry Potter. Alright people we'll explain later. For now let's just get out of here." she said out loud.

They just nodded and started moving, with Harry and Hermione out front, Luna supporting Ron in the middle, and Neville and Ginny bringing up the rear. They crossed the threshold into the next room only to find two Death Eaters who turned turned raising their wands but failed to do anything but scream as their wand arms were ripped off with twin cries if "Diffindo!" from Harry and Hermione.

Hermione quickly cauterized their wounds again with the flame curse and tied then up Ginny stared her in shock "Hermione! Harry!What did you do!" . "What? They would do worse to us first chance they get. I'm just making sure they can't stop us again." Hermione said.

Ginny nodded accepting the brunette's explanation. They moved ahead into the revolving room and through it headed toward s the lifts hoping to get out without being spotted. Just as they reached the lifts the saw the doors burst open letting half a dozen members of the Order if the Phoenix out .

"Oh Thank God you people finally got here! Wait why on earth did you bring Sirius to the Ministry? He's a fugitive remember? " said Hermione with a sigh. Harry meanwhile had rushed forward to hug his godfather.

" Hermione, Harry was in in trouble! How could i not come?" Sirius asked her incredulously. "No Sirius she's right! It's too dangerous. We have to get ourselves and you out now! Please leave the fighting to the others." Harry begged him.

"She's right Black. You shouldn't be here. Get them out of here. Safely. We'll handle this." Moody said gruffly.

"But.." Sirius started to argue. Hermione cut him off angrily. "Sirius this is what you did last time with Wormtail. Think before you act will you! Harry needs you more right now. Now come quietly or I swear I'll stun you and drag you out of here!"

Everyone stared warily at the angry witch for a second before they were interrupted by Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy running towards them, flinging curses.

"GO NOW!" Moody roared before he turned to engage Bellatrix with Tonks, conjuring a wall to interrupt a green spell.

Sirius hastily erected a shield before picking Ron up slinging him over his shoulder freeing Luna.

Harry was torn between helping the Order and getting his friends to safety before Hermione gently coaxed him.

'_Harry, they're_ _aurors. Its their job. They'll manage. We have to get everyone else out first.'_

He sighed but turned and ran after Hermione who was waiting at the elevator. '_This time Hermione but next time we face them I'm taking them down. One way or another.'_

She sighed , knowing he wouldn't change his mind. Truth be told she felt much the same as him and decided to tell him as much.

_'I feel the same Harry. We'll talk about all of this once we're safe alright?'_

Harry nodded and smiled slightly, stepping out of the door and leading the way across the atrium before coming to an abrupt stop, a chill running down his spine.

"He's here."

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A/N: Well that's the first chapter. This is my first fic so any kind of help would be really appreciated. Criticism, too so far as it is constructive enough. Chapter two in a few days time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ministry Six**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belongs to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters , places, etc.

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"_He's here."_

**Chapter 2**

" Harry?" Hermione asked him, a little nervous.

"Voldemort." Harry replied looking around trying to spot him.

"Indeed Harry Potter. We meet again. I see you have something I need. Hand it over _now _and I may let your little band live!" the Dark Lord, walking down the atrium carelessly, spat, eyes glowing malevolently.

'_Hermione I'll keep him talking. You get the others-'_

'_I'm NOT leaving you!'_

'_I don't expect you to. Make sure they are ready to attack. We only need to keep him here till Aurors, Dumbledore or the rest of the order get here. Seeing him in person should be proof enough for our dear Minister. '_

'_Okay Harry' _

"Yeah, right! Just like you let Cedric live right? You're insane if you think I'll ever obey you!" Harry replied making sure the prophecy sphere was secure, lifting his wand to point it at his nemesis.

"Don't be foolish child! You cannot hope to defeat me! I'm Lord Voldemort! The greatest wizard ever born!" he scoffed, never noticing the black Grim-like dog turning into Sirius Black and taking position over a now recovering Ron or the other four teens spreading out to set him in a crossfire, focused as he was on Harry.

'_Whenever you're ready Harry'_

'_On my mark. Stagger the spells. Not all at once. I don't want him to have room to retaliate.'_

'_Understood' _Hermione replied, signaling what he wanted to the others as Harry continued to distract Voldemort. "The greatest wizard ever born, who was defeated by a mere baby! And did you forget last year where I beat you again?"

"You will suffer for your impertinence!" Voldemort roared. "Crucio!"

Harry easily dodged the spell, having years of practice dodging bludgers in Quidditch paying off spectacularly.

"I think not. Now!" Harry shot back. The others, getting their cue, immediately sent an array of curses at the surprised Dark Lord. Voldemort, on his part was momentarily shocked. No one but Albus Dumbledore had had the audacity to openly attack him. Still he wasn't known as the most feared Dark Lord for nothing and hastily erected a shield, barely managing to stop the first three Reductors, Hermione's much stronger Bombarda decimating it. He was forced to roll sideways to avoid Harry's Diffindo that would at least have cut him open, if not decapitated, him. Such viciousness from Dumbledore's protégé, the Gryffindor Golden Boy, had stumped him, and combined with the hail of Reductors, Blasting Hexes, Cutters left him incapable of forming an appropriate response for a while.

"Ronald Weasley! Confringo! Get back! Reducto! You're injured!" Hermione screamed at Ron who was still on the ground but trying to get in a few spells of his own from behind Sirius.

"Hell no, Hermione! Reducto!" Ron shot back.

"Will you – Diffindo – stop – Augue - Bickering!" Harry shouted.

"Keep it up, pup!" Sirius shouted encouragement to Harry, conjuring walls of stone at various intervals to absorb the spells Voldemort was slipping through their barrage.

'_Harry we aren't going to last much longer' _Hermione sent mentally to him. It was true, what with the impromptu healing he'd done and the fight with the other Death Eaters and the fact that this was _Voldemort, _they wouldn't last much without backup.

'_Just a little longer Hermione. Someone should be coming.' _He sent back, knowing that unless they had help, and soon, they wouldn't be able to hold Voldemort back much longer.

"Confringo! Neville watch out! His snake is behind you!" Ginny screamed.

Neville had barely ducked when Nagini lunged at him, rolling away from the angered reptile, which coiled to strike again. Luna, not seeing a safe way to curse it without hurting Neville, simply banished it away from him. It was pure luck that the snake happened to slam into the golden statue, impaling itself on the centaur's arrowhead. Nagini died instantly, a green mist rising out of Voldemort's familiar before dissipating.

"NAGINI! NO!" Voldemort roared, a wave of pure magic pulsing out of him at the loss of his familiar, knocking all the five still standing teens on their backs and sending Sirius crashing into Ron who was still on his knees, flattening him again.

"You will die for this! Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort roared at the now defenseless Luna whose wand had gone flying as the wind was knocked out of her. However, there was a clatter of metal as the house elf from the statue ran into the path of the green curse before shattering into pieces.

"Who- Ah Dumbledore!" the Dark Lord's surprised countenance morphed into a sneer, at the sight of the venerable old wizard.

Harry for his part whipped around to see the , no matter _what _Umbridge and the Ministry said, _real _ Headmaster of Hogwarts, walking from the direction of the lifts, flanked by Kinglsey Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks with Remus Lupin covering him from behind. His heart leapt at the sight of them.

'_See? Told you we'll be fine .Dumbledore can handle him.' _ He sent to Hermione.

'_Don't get complacent Harry. Just because the Headmaster is here doesn't mean we can't help him. This IS Voldemort remember?' _ She shot back rising from the ground with the rest pointing her wand at Voldemort. Luna having recovered her wand headed over to Ron to support him as he clambered to his feet having recovered slightly from his concussion. Neville helped Ginny up, who seemed to have sprained her ankle again.

"It was a mistake to come here Tom. All your followers downstairs have been well taken care of. The Aurors are almost here. I alerted the Minister before arriving here. "

"It won't matter if the whole Ministry is coming Dumbledore! By then you and your Golden Boy will be dead and there will be nothing to stop me from taking Britain for mine!" Voldemort screamed at him before launching his favorite Unforgivable at the aged Headmaster, who simply conjured a wall to defend himself. This was the cue for the rest to act as Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Luna and even a slightly better looking Ron who was now supported by Sirius who had transformed into Padfoot , stated flinging curses at him again. However, this time they had two Aurors, a Defence against the Dark Arts master and the Headmaster of Hogwarts to help.

Each of them followed the example of the six Hogwarts students, however their curses were more powerful and slightly of a deadlier variety. Dumbledore allowed his full power to shine through, reminding everyone present that although he might be seen as a kind, grandfatherly Headmaster most of the time, he still was the same powerful wizard who had almost single handedly destroyed Grindelwald's reign of terror, and age had only leant him more experience and ability. Under the combined assault , Voldemort was extremely hard pressed to keep himself unharmed, having to continuously back away and unable to get even one single offensive spell in.

It was to this spectacle that the floos roared alive and the Aurors and various Ministry personnel fell out. Once it sank in that a supposedly dead Dark Lord was not only alive but also in the Ministry, the screaming started, with several people, including the Minister, fainting outright. Even as egotistical as he was Voldemort realized that he had absolutely no chance whatsoever of winning this battle, and recognized defeat for the time being.

"You win this time. Next we meet, I WILL be the victor!" With that, he grabbed his portkey and vanished in a swirl of robes.

Harry slumped at the sight of the Dark Lord fleeing, and went over to Hermione who had collapsed on the ground, panting from exhaustion. He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly, a little disbelieving that they'd gotten out of this with their lives. "You okay?"

She only nodded in answer, still panting for breath and nodded towards Ron who had collapsed from the strain of his injury and the battle and had Padfoot sitting by him and Luna holding his head and Ginny and Neville standing over him, all in a condition similar to Hermione. The two of them headed over to their other best friend and sank down beside him.

"What happened to him?" Harry asked Luna, concerned for the boy he regarded as a brother.

"Oh I think he fell asleep. He was mumbling something about food." Luna replied in that calm dreamy tone only she could pull off. Ginny, Neville and Harry snorted with Padfoot giving out a bark that sounded suspiciously like a laugh and Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head muttering about boys with one track minds. At that moment Dumbledore detached himself from a stern looking woman with short grey hair and a monocle that Harry recognized as Madam Bones, the Head of the DMLE.

"I must say that of all the things I expected when I heard you had run off to the ministry, I did not expect to find you dueling Lord Voldemort Harry." Dumbledore said with the familiar twinkle in his eyes. Harry grinned sheepishly but before he could say anything Dumbledore forestalled him with a raised hand. "Later, Harry. For now I think it best if you head to the Hogwarts infirmary with your friends, young Ronald definitely looks like he can use Madam Pomfrey's ministrations. And I would recommend taking Padfoot with you too. "With that he picked up the head of house elf statue lying nearby and turned it into a portkey before handing it to them. Harry nodded and the five members who were still awake put a finger to the head with Luna holding Ron's hand to it and Padfoot using his paw. The second all of them had touched the head they felt a familiar jerk behind the navel and disappeared from the Ministry.

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Well there's Chapter 2. Finished that faster than i thought.

OC Spells:

Augue : Fireballs


	3. Chapter 3

**Ministry Six**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belongs to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters , places, etc.

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**Chapter 3**

Poppy Pomfrey, Hogwarts healer, was having a quiet day in the Infirmary. She was taking stock of all the potions and humming happily to herself as she worked. The reason for her happiness was one Harry James Potter, or rather the absence of said student. He was her most loved and most hated patient ever. In only the first four years of his schooling, he had managed more trips to her than his father, James Potter and his notorious godfather, Sirius Black, had in their full Hogwarts education. He was just about the most loveable boy ever, again more so than his father and godfather. Problem was, whenever something went wrong, he was almost always involved.

So, when he had managed almost the entire year without a major, life-threatening injury, Poppy Pomfrey was walking on clouds. Of course she should have known it was too good to last.

She looked up, surprised, when the Infirmary wards triggered, letting her know that there was an inbound portkey. Since the only person authorized to make portkeys through the Hogwarts wards was the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, not Umbridge, who she refused to acknowledge, and he would never make such a portkey without pressing reasons, she knew that this would be serious.

Her jovial demeanor dropped instantly as she prepared herself for the worst. Being the primary healer for the Order of the Phoenix during the initial reign of Voldemort, she had seen and worked through the worst, several times over.

When the portkey landed she not too surprised to see Harry Potter, nor was she surprised to see his best friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. Wherever the boy went, those two followed. Who she was surprised to see, was Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood. And the biggest, shaggy, black dog she had seen. How this unlikely group ended up in the infirmary, she decided to find out from the most likely cause of them being there.

"Harry Potter! What did you do this time? Must you compulsively do things that land you here time and again? And this time you dragged the rest of your friends with you! Why do you make my life so hard?" she asked in mock indignation as she made her way towards the group that had landed in a jumbled heap in the middle of the Infirmary, pulling out her wand.

Harry looked at her, startled, from where he had fallen under Hermione, before he gave her a cheeky grin.

"Well I couldn't possibly finish an entire year without my usual trip to see my favorite Healer could I? And I thought you would be lonely so I brought a few friends along for company." he finished, only to be rapped on the head by Hermione.

"Behave Harry" she said with an amused smile, while moving to get up.

"Aww Hermione. Don't be like that! I was feeling so nice and comfortable here!" he said with a pout, pulling her down again so his face was nestled in her hair.

She shrieked and rapped his head again, pulling them both up this time, while Ginny and Neville laughed at his antics and Padfoot gave him an appreciative bark.

Madam Pomfrey sighed as ran a quick diagnostic on the group "Alright its nothing too bad. Looks like Mr. Weasley's concussion is the worst injury. I've got a potion that should fix him right up. Miss Weasley, if you will stay still for moment, there you go, ankle's all fixed. None of the rest of you look to be injured but I'd like to have you stay overnight just in case, especially if you have been gallivanting around with Potter here.'

"Madam Pomfrey if I may suggest something?" Luna asked starting intently at Harry and Hermione.

"Yes Miss Lovegood?" the Healer asked turning towards the blonde.

"I think Harry and Hermione should sleep together-"

"Luna!" both teens interrupted her indignantly, while blushing furiously and studiously avoiding each other's eyes.

"Oh not that way, you two. Though I should think it would come up in near future, what I meant right now, is you should stay in close proximity. That's all. If you need a reason I would suggest you check their cores, Madam Pomfrey" she finished calmly, looking at the two red, sputtering teens.

Madam Pomfrey turned to them with quizzical look but performed the spell to check their cores anyway. She gasped loudly at the results and looked towards them with shock showing clearly on her face.

"Both your cores are almost completely depleted! What have you been doing? This could have caused very serious damage! And would care to explain why it looks like your magic has merged?" She asked them forcefully.

The two teens looked at each other and seemed to communicate with just their eyes. None present knew they we're doing exactly that.

'_Do you think-' _

'_The telepathy?' _

'_Our magical cores linking could have caused something like this. When you healed me, did you feel anything unusual?'_

'_Umm, yeah, a weird presence. Kind of felt like you if you know what I mean. Wait-'_

'_That would have been our cores linking. The extra magic flooding my body could have sped up the healing process exponentially. Especially if that was what you intended for your magic to do.' _

'_Yeah that would have been pretty much my only thought at the time. Maybe we should explain this to Madam Pomfrey. She looks like she's getting restless.'_

At this, Hermione started and looked at the Healer, who was now giving them an amused look. Harry took the initiative and gave Madam Pomfrey the details of the incident since she had been on the verge of death when it happened. Hermione cuddled into his side as she felt his emotions run high through their bond from recollecting her near-death experience, reassuring him of her presence.

"Well nothing is ever normal for you is it? Oh well it seems Miss Lovegood was right. If your magic is linked, the proximity is probably a necessity till bond stabilizes. I'll have to look up on magical bonds for more information. How did you know about it anyway?" Madam Pomfrey asked, turning to where Luna was sitting by Ron's bedside, holding his hand as he slept.

"I can read auras." She replied simply.

"That explains it. The Headmaster will have to be notified about this development and your safe arrival." She said, thinking about where she could find the information needed.

"You mentioned me Poppy?" Albus Dumbledore asked as he walked into the infirmary, as if he hadn't been chased out of the castle just a few months before.

"Oh Albus! Thank goodness you're here. I was just intending to let you know that all the students were fine. A concussion was the worst physical injury." She replied.

"Physical? Why do I get the feeling there's something more?" he asked, studying each of the six of his students, eyes widening slightly when he saw that Harry and Hermione were on the same bed, something Madam Pomfrey wouldn't usually allow.

"I take it this has something to do with Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger?" he asked turning to the Healer.

"Yes. They told me what happened in brief but I would ask you to postpone any interrogation. All six are exhausted, especially Potter and Granger, and need some rest desperately. Head on to my office, I'll explain everything." She said to him before heading back to her patients.

"Alright all six of you, pick a bed, get in, get some rest. The dog can stay as long as he behaves." She stated, glaring at Padfoot, who was sitting on a chair beside Harry and Hermione's bed.

He gave her a happy bark before curling up on the chair, still watching his two favorite teenagers intently. Madam Pomfrey gave him an amused look before heading to her office to speak to Dumbledore.

Neville, Ginny and Luna got ready for bed, with Luna claiming the one beside Ron's. The lights dimmed as everyone settled down for the night.

'_Hey Hermione, you think there's something between Ron and Luna?' _Harry asked Hermione, looking between his best mate and the quirky Ravenclaw.

'_I think so. They have been getting closer during the D.A. lessons. But so help me god Harry, if you tease him about it or set Fred and George on him, I will make you suffer' _she shot back, knowing that was what he intended to do.

'_Oh all right.' _He said, sounding disappointed.

'_Fledging relationships remind me, we have our very own situation to deal with Mr. Potter' _she said, causing him to tense up immediately_._

_'You're not mad about the bond or anything are you?'_

'_R__elax Harry. There's nothing to be worried about. It's actually pretty useful if you've observed, being able to talk in our heads. And Madam Pomfrey should be able to enlighten us more tomorrow. Lets just enjoy it now' _she said, amused at how fast his mood shifted at her words.

_'Oh thank God about that! And about us, I was kinda hoping to ask you out on a date or something properly but never knew how to go about it.'_

_'It's really fine Harry. If you hadn't gotten around to asking me out by the end of the year, I was going to ask you myself.' _

'_You were? But if you liked me then why didn't you say anything e__arlier? And why did you let me go out with Cho?' _he asked puzzled.

She snuggled closer to him before she answered.

'_Well I can't say I wasn't a little disappointed with the situation for a while. But besides being in love with you, I still am your best friend, and want you to be happy. You seemed happy, so I didn't say anything. But as it turns out I didn't need to, did I? I know I shouldn't be pleased with her misfortune but ,well, everything worked out fine in the end.'_

'_But Hermione if you had given me any sort of sign at all that you liked me I would have asked you out immediately. The only reason I went after Cho is because I thought you weren't interested!'_

'_Whatever gave you that idea?'_

'_Well umm..'_

'_Precisely. But I guess since I didn't make any real effort to let you know I was interested, it wasn't exactly your fault. I knew you were clueless with girls, so I should have made a better effort.'_

'_Hey!'_

'_What? I had to nearly die to get you to confess.'_

'_Okay yeah it's true I guess.'_

'_It's fine Harry. Really. As I said both of us are partly at fault. But we're together now, though, and that's all that matters isn't it?'_

'_Yeah. I still feel like a jerk though. And I really should listen to you more. I almost lost you today because of my impulsiveness.'_

_'Stop beating yourself up about it Harry. You wouldn't be yourself if you didn't rush into things without thinking would you now? That's my job. And if you remember, all of us volunteered to come.'_

_'Yeah but-'_

_'But nothing. It's not your fault that i got cursed. If anything it's mine. I made a mistake when I just silenced that Death Eater. I should have stunned him at the very least. We all made mistakes, now we learn from them. Now drop it. No more discussion on that. We'll deal with the fallout tomorrow.'_

_'Alright alright, you win. But Hermione there's still one thing that's bugging me.'_

_'T__he prophecy?'_

_'Yup. I've still got it with me. What I don't get, is why it's so important to Voldemort.'_

_'Hmm. Oh we'll figure it out tomorrow. We should get some sleep now.'_

_'Okay. I could get used to this. Goodnight Hermione. I love you.'_

_'Night Harry. I love you too'_

With that, the two of them finally succumbed to sleep, ecstatic with their newfound love and secure in the knowledge it would last.

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A/N : So yeah there's Chapter 3. A little late but I've been studying for my exam sand didn't get much time. Not much happens this time, but it should pick up pace soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ministry Six**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belongs to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters , places, etc. Prophecy copied from OOTP.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Hermione Granger was startled awake by a bright flash of light followed by the sound of a boy yelping. Rather than open her eyes and snap at the annoyance, she chose to cuddle deeper into the warm cocoon that was wrapped around her, trying to block out the disturbance.

"Ronald Weasley! If you woke the two of them up I swear I'll skin you alive!" a female voice hissed off to the side.

"Bloody Hell Ginny! I just wanted some proof to show Fred and George that they slept together so I could collect my winnings!" a distinctly male voice, the same that had yelped before retorted.

"Ronald, I suggest you hide now. Hermione won't be happy with you for disturbing her sleep. You know how she is in the morning. Plus, now the wrackspurts have finally cleared, and she and Harry are together. He won't be happy that you intruded on their snuggling time." Said a dreamy, female voice.

"Eh Luna, I think Hermione will be madder than Harry. She seems to be enjoying herself." Said another male voice to the side.

"My, My, Neville! I never knew you had it in you!" said the first voice.

'_They seem to be quite chipper today. So are you having fun, love?_'

This voice, unlike the others, spoke in her mind.

'_Yes I am, thank you very much. How are you feeling Harry?'_ she sent back the same way.

'_Really good, now that I have you to cuddle with.' _came back the reply, causing her to smile slightly.

'_Honestly! Harry I was talking about yesterday. I know you were far more exhausted than you were letting on.' _She sent back, although she knew her attempt to be stern would be futile as he would feel her amusement through their bond.

'_No really, I feel perfectly fine. I was exhausted, true, but it's all gone now.' _ Harry thought to her.

'_I'll take your word for it then. And before you ask, I'm feeling fine as well. No pain or anything whatsoever from whatever it was that hit me. You did a great job you know.'_

'_Well thanks. Think we should get up?' _

'_Mmmm. Not yet. Stay little while longer. You're too comfortable. And don't you dare move. Ron's already going to get hexed for disturbing me.'_

'_Heard that, did you? Then you also probably know of the bet?'_

'_Fred and George are next on my list.'_

'_Enough said.'_

They fell silent for a while, listening to their friends bickering good-naturedly while enjoying the cuddling.

'_Um, Hermione?'_

'_Yes Harry?'_

'_I've…. got a problem.'_

'_You mean that isn't your wand?'_

Harry was shocked speechless for a while that this comment was made by Hermione Granger of all people, before he recovered.

'_While I enjoy your amusement at my expense, what I meant was I needed to relieve myself. As in empty my bladder, not the other kind that your dirty mind is thinking of.'_

'_You spoil all my fun. Alright, alright, we'll get up. I need to go myself anyways.'_

Hermione sighed and slipped out from where Harry was spooned up to her back and stretched a bit before looking around. She and Harry, who was stretching himself now, were in what was unofficially known to all as Harry's bed in the Hogwarts Infirmary. In the bed directly across from them was their other best friend, Ronald Weasley, who had something that looked suspiciously like a photograph that he hid under his pillow as soon as he noticed her. Luna Lovegood was sitting on the bed beside Ron's head with her usual spaced off demeanor that Hermione now realized was caused by her ability to see auras. Ginny Weasley was curled up in at the foot of his bed smirking at them and Neville Longbottom was sitting in a chair on the side. All of them were looking at Harry and her closely.

"Morning guys." Harry said from behind her as he put his glasses on.

"Morning Harry, Hermione. Sleep well?" Ginny asked them with a wicked gleam in her eyes which proved just how much she was like her elder brothers, Fred and George.

"Very. And that was all we did, Ginevra. Sleep." Hermione responded primly, knowing that using her full name would irk the redhead.

"And Ron? When you send those photos to Fred and George, include a note that says that I'll want to talk to them when we next meet." She said to the now gulping Ron.

"Heh. Heard that, did you?" he asked nervously, knowing from last year that Hermione hated her love life being speculated on.

"Yes, I did. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to use the bathroom." Hermione said, getting off the bed and heading off after giving Harry a kiss on the cheek.

"You're not gonna hex me too are you?" Ron asked to a smirking Harry.

"I don't think I'll need to mate." Harry said before heading off to the bathroom himself.

"He's right, you know. When Hermione comes back you better have a good reason ready." Neville said wisely.

"What the hell? All of you bet too! Why am I the one getting screwed over?" Ron whined.

"Because, Ronald, you are the only one foolish enough to mention it in front of her." Luna said simply.

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey emerged from her office to check up on her patients. She saw that two were missing and turned to Ginny who answered the unasked question.

"Bathroom."

Hermione came back at that moment and saw Madam Pomfrey.

"Ms. Granger, if you would lie on the bed? I checked you earlier today but I'd like to run the tests again." The healer said as she pulled out her wand. Hermione nodded and laid back on the bed as directed while Madam Pomfrey ran the wand over her body as Harry came back and sat beside her on the bed.

"You seem perfectly fine. Your core is still recharging so don't attempt any strenuous magic for at least today. Now, Mr. Potter, your turn." The Healer said as Harry nodded and laid down on the spot Hermione had just vacated.

"Well well well. I never quite understood how you manage to get through so much and still end up perfectly fine. You're the same as Ms. Granger. Identical, in fact. Ah, it's the bond, I see. It's settling down nicely. The magic isn't showing up as chaotic as it was yesterday. Well then, same instructions for both of you. You can have breakfast in here with the rest of your friends; I believe it's almost time. Oh and the Headmaster should be coming around soon. He wants to talk to all of you about a few things." She finished waving her wand over him before, patting his hand and moving back to her office after nodding to the other four.

"Hey Hermione what did she mean by bond? Luna said something about auras but I didn't really get her." Ginny asked as the four of them moved over to sit around Harry and Hermione's bed.

"Well we don't really know much about it but long story short, when I was cursed yesterday- Neville saw it, ask him if you want- I was hurt really bad. Harry healed me somehow, and our magic merged. Voila! Brand new magical bond! Oh and it also lets us talk in her heads." Hermione said, grinning at the gob smacked looks around her, moving to eat her newly arrived breakfast which a House Elf popped in to deliver as Harry snorted and did the same.

"Well I still didn't understand it." Ginny stated after a while as the rest moved to get some food.

"We don't either. I think that's one of the things that Professor Dumbledore wants to talk to us about." Harry said between taking bites of toast.

"Indeed I do, Harry my boy. Good morning to all of you too." Dumbledore said cheerily, as he strode towards them, a large black dog bounding beside him. It gave a bark and ran towards them before changing into Sirius Black who moved towards his godson and gave him a big hug.

"Hey pup! How're you feeling? Sleep well?" he asked, the same gleam in his eyes that had been in Ginny's before as she snorted.

"Stuff it Padfoot, or there will be a dog neutered today." Hermione said glaring at him before turning to a snickering Ginny who shut up immediately.

"Oh Hermione! You wouldn't do that to poor old me would you? You'll be doing the women of this world a great disservice you know." Sirius said as he gave a mock-pout.

"I'll be doing them a favor, if anything." Hermione stated snidely.

Sirius's comeback was interrupted by Dumbledore clearing his throat as he sat down in the comfortable armchair he conjured.

"While I enjoy witty repartee as much as the next person, I fear it will have to wait as we have a few things to discuss. First and foremost, of immediate importance, is the magical bond that you, Harry and Hermione, seem to have formed. I have studied Madam Pomfrey's readings of the two of you and, as such, have formed a tentative theory that might explain most, if not all the aspects off the bond. But I need to check a few things first." He said looking between the two teens, who now had expectant looks on their faces.

"Go on Professor." Hermione said eager to get to the bottom of this, as she and Harry set their breakfast aside and laid back on the bed.

Dumbledore pulled his wand out of his robes and moved to stand over them before waving it over them in complicated patterns, muttering under his breath all the while. Everyone watched in silence as he went on. After about a minute, he put his wand away with a smile on his face as he sat back in his chair and started speaking with everyone hanging onto his words.

"It is as I suspected. Madam Pomfrey told me about how Ms. Granger was injured. My theory is that when Mr. Potter tried to heal her, he injected his raw, unstructured magic straight into her body. Now you all know that magical beings, including wizards and witches, are slightly more resistant to damage than our non-magical counterparts. The reason for this is that our magic, while concentrated in our cores most of the time, flows through our body aiding it wherever required. It is the reason we do not fall ill too easily, recover from injuries much faster, and live for so long. You have Mr. Potter and me as proof. Now, Ms. Granger, when Mr. Potter flooded your body with magic, he used much more than he should have, somehow leading to his magic directly linking your cores. This enabled your body to use your combined magical power so as to heal itself, which was further helped by the fact that Mr. Potter intended it to do so. While this is more or less what happens in most healing spells, the fact that Mr. Potter's magic was not properly structured, caused the magical pathway to become permanent, creating a link of between your cores. Madam Pomfrey was correct in letting you sleep close together since the link was still newly formed, and any excess pressure on it could have damaged it, and perhaps even you, greatly. The physical proximity let your cores repair themselves from the damage they took during the bonding and allowed your magic to reinforce the bond itself. I must thank you for that Ms. Lovegood. Since your magic is an inherent part of your being, it should also create a link between your minds, which I believe has happened already. Also you will find that if you concentrate hard enough, you can possibly dip into each others' magical cores to cast spells if needed. Apart from that there is nothing more to the bond, other than it will last for life, or so I believe, and it is in absolutely no way harmful to either of you now that it has settled. Though I do recommend you take your time and examine the bond carefully on your own too. You should be able to do a much better job." He said.

Hermione was nodding her head through the whole explanation and ticking of points mentally. "We had figured out a little bit of it Professor. Thank you for clearing that up. We'll look into it ourselves too." she said with Harry nodding agreement.

Dumbledore nodded and continued talking.

"There are also other things I wanted to discuss with you. The prophecy you retrieved, for one, and the Death Eaters that were captured at the Ministry, thanks to the efforts of the six of you."

" Ah, about the prophecy Professor, why on earth is Voldemort so obsessed with it" Harry asked.

The aged Headmaster seemed to slump in his chair. He sighed wearily and rubbed his eyes before continuing.

"That prophecy, Harry, is the reason why Voldemort attacked you all those years ago. It was given to me while I was interviewing a candidate for the post of Divination professor. However, the room was not so secure as I had thought and part of it was overheard by a Death Eater who delivered it to Voldemort. It says... Perhaps it would be better if we can hear it's full contents. You still have it, I believe?" he asked Harry, who nodded before opening the bedside table and pulling out the little glass sphere and set it on the bed. Everyone crowded around to see what it contained as Dumbledore tapped it with his wand. A pearly white but familiar figure rose from the sphere.

"That's Trelawney! But I always thought she was a fraud!" hissed Ginny.

"But if she did give a prophecy she obviously isn't." Ron said.

"Quiet! You two zip your mouths and listen!" Hermione snapped.

A hoarse, raspy voice sounded from the mouth of the figure, one that Harry had heard only once before.

"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES. . . . BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES . . . AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT . . . AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES. . . . THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES. . . ."

Everyone was quiet for a second after a it was finished. Then Sirius spoke up.

"Albus, you know there's no way I'm gonna stay out of this and let Harry go off alone. I made that mistake once. Never again." Sirius said grimly.

"Yeah! There's absolutely no bloody way I'm gonna let Harry face that monster alone. I don't give a damn about any prophecy!" Ron practically shouted at the aged Headmaster.

"Ronald is right, Professor. We stood with Harry once, we will do it again." Luna stated calmly, all dreaminess gone as she fixed Dumbledore with a fierce stare.

"Besides, like I said before, she's Trelawney! Everyone knows she's faking it! Even McGonagall knows it for Merlin's sake!" Ginny stated heatedly, just as incensed as her brother.

"Yeah, and she's been predicting Harry's death for 3 years now! None of that came true!" Neville stated, trying to calm Ginny down at the same time.

Harry had been observing Hermione's face all this time. He could see she was deep in thought from the way she was biting her lip and from her furrowed brow .He could also sense her churning thoughts over their bond.

He decided to add his two knuts to the discussion while Hermione finished thinking.

"It's not a fake. I've heard her talk like that only once before, and then Trelawney predicted Wormtail's escape and the return of Voldemort. Of course, then I thought she had finally gone round the twist, but now I know better right? But what I want to know is what you think of it Hermione." He said still looking intently at her.

Hermione thought for a moment longer before looking up into Harry's eyes.

"I believe the prophecy, like Harry just said, is a true prophecy." Here she raised a hand to forestall objections by the Weasleys. "But, I also don't think it is worth our while to fret over it. It really is of no consequence." Hermione said, much more happily than Harry figured she would have.

"And how do you say that Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore asked eyeing her speculatively.

"Simple. It's already come to pass. Quite a few years ago in fact." She stated smugly, that I-Know-Something-You-Don't expression she often had when she had just uncovered a fact that almost no one knew about, an expression Harry had seen her wear when she suggested he start the DA and when she had captured Rita Skeeter. It dawned on Harry immediately what she had been talking about, with a little encouragement from her over the bond.

"Of course! Halloween 1981!" he gasped.

Similar looks of comprehension showed on Dumbledore's and Sirius's faces.

"I- I must admit I never thought of that. It fits all the criteria of the Prophecy too." Dumbledore thought, nodding. He had an amazed expression on his face.

Harry grinned with pride at Hermione, who blushed slightly as she took in his emotions over their bond, and continued in a stronger voice.

"Exactly, Professor. The initial part defines either Harry or Neville from what I've read or gathered from books and chatting with Order members. Both Harry's and Neville's parents matched the description given, and the boys were born almost simultaneously. But it shifts to Harry as Voldemort decided he would be more dangerous and set out to kill him, thereby making Harry the 'mark'. From what I've read about Tom Riddle, that's Voldemort's real name for those who don't know, and his achievements and records at Hogwarts, was an orphan and lived in an orphanage since birth. This I learned from when I asked the Room of Requirement for information on Voldemort. 'Know Thy Enemy' and all that rot. Also, we all know he grew up a totally heartless bastard. The kind of love Harry's mother showed him, to the extent of sacrificing herself for Harry, was an absolutely alien concept for him. Therefore, the 'Power he knows not', is a mother's true love. Harry didn't have much of a life before Voldemort's fall, did he? He spent most of his life in hiding, while Voldemort spent his time looking for Harry. Then we have the fact that Voldemort DID die that day. You've all seen him now. He's definitely not human anymore. That body, from what Harry told us of his resurrection, is, I believe, a Dark Magic construct. So he is, in effect, dead. And there we have it. Prophecy satisfied, with Harry coming out winning." Hermione finished grinning widely at the totally astonished looks she was getting. She enjoyed it for only a second, as Harry grabbed her and proceeded to snog her senseless right there, not that she minded.

"That, my love, is why you are called the brightest witch of this age." Harry stated proudly when he pulled back, smirking a little at her dazed expression.

* * *

A/N: I refuse to believe that, Hermione, who has an obsessive thirst for knowledge to the point of it being unhealthy, would never try to use the Room of Requirements in this manner to find more about Voldemort . And it clearly is capable of providing relevant reading material from what we see in a scene during a DA lesson.

So there you go. Chapter 4. Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

Ministry Six

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belongs to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters , places, etc. Prophecy copied from OOTP.

_"That, my love, is why you are called the brightest witch of this age." Harry stated proudly when he pulled back, smirking a little at her dazed expression._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Hermione shook her head to clear the daze she had fallen into before grinning widely at Harry before she heard a wolf-whistle in the background.

"Nice technique, pup! Care to give an old dog some tips?" Sirius said while grinning madly.

"Padfoot?"

"Yes pup?"

"Shut up."

"Fine. Be like that. No fun, the two of you." Sirius mock pouted.

"Wait, guys hold up, this prophecy is what you were guarding the whole year?" Ron asked incredulous.

"Well, yes. Why Ron?" Sirius asked, turning to the redhead.

"Oh no reason whatsoever Padfoot. Just that if you 'adults' had seen fit to include us 'little children' in you Order meetings, you just might have found out that the prophecy was worth less than dragon dung about one year earlier!" Ginny said snidely, scowling at Dumbledore and Sirius.

"Hey! I resent that! You mother is the one who resembles it! Remember, I was the one who wanted to give Harry all the details the moment he showed up at Headquarters? And if Harry knew, Ron and Hermione knew, and if they knew, they'd have told you! So don't blame me! Nuh uh! Not this time!" Sirius said, holding his hands up in a helpless gesture.

"You know, he's right. Ron, Ginny, he's telling the truth. He almost gave me the whole story. So I guess the blame here lays with you, Professor. You should have trusted us more! And I would suggest you do not hold back such important information again. We could have been severely injured, if not killed. Hermione almost was! So if you have anything more to tell us, I suggest you do so now." Harry said angrily, glaring the ancient wizard who was slumped in his chair.

"I admit that this time the blame lays squarely with me Harry. Ms. Granger, I commend you on your brilliant use of logic." Dumbledore said, nodding to the brunette who was now blushing furiously as Harry placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Thank You Professor. Although, if I may suggest something?" she said.

"Go ahead." Dumbledore said.

"Let Voldemort know the prophecy. We know it's worthless. He doesn't need to know that. If he believes that Harry has a power that he does not know about, it will make him sweat a bit, maybe even wary of attacking Harry too soon without knowing what his 'power' is. It should keep him busy for a while, if nothing else." Hermione said to Dumbledore, who was nodding absently, apparently deep in thought.

"An excellent suggestion, Ms. Granger. I'll see what I can do about it. I only wish the prophecy had been fulfilled as it was meant to be. If only Tom had not created those Horcruxes-"

Sirius' eyes went wide for a second before he rounded on Dumbledore, eyes blazing, completely different from his usual jovial self.

"HE DID WHAT? AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN THIS FOR? ANSWER ME NOW ABLUS, AND DON'T EVEN DARE TO DEFLECT MY QUESTION!_"_ Sirius shouted at the Headmaster, who recoiled from the unexpected outburst. The rest just looked on, shocked.

Harry was the first to regain his senses and pulled an enraged Sirius back and with Neville's help thrust him back into his chair.

"Sirius as much as I am pissed off at the Professor, I think we should give him this chance. And you better not hold anything back this time Professor." Harry said, looking Dumbledore dead in the eye.

Dumbledore visibly composed himself before looking Sirius in the eye.

"I only recently had my suspicions Sirius. They were only confirmed yesterday, which is why I was late to come to your aid at the Ministry. That, Sirius, is what I have been looking through the Black Library for these past few weeks. After my escape from Hogwarts, I dedicated all my time to finding out as much about Tom's life after Hogwarts as I could. I tried to find any rituals or anything that he could have used to survive. Only this week did my suspicions get stronger, after I happened to come across a particularly vile tome that listed the Horcrux creation ritual in explicit detail. It reminded me of the Diary that Harry destroyed in second year. Only then was I positive that Tom made a Horcrux, Sirius. Even then, I didn't know with a with a hundred percent certainty till yesterday, that it wasn't the only one. He could not have survived in wraith form unless he had another." Dumbledore said as Sirius visibly paled, he now had a haunted look in his eyes

"Merlin help us! He made more! More than one! Oh Gods, this is bad!" he whispered, as his face turned totally white.

"Ummm, Sirius? Professor? What exactly is a Horcrux?" Hermione asked fearfully, looking at Sirius' haunted looking face. Anything that could shake the Marauder this bad had to be something really, really terrible. Even when he had had Dementors hunting him, he had not looked this scared.

"A Horcrux, Hermione, is just about the darkest, most evil magic there is. Black Magic is called that for a reason you know? When I said my family was as black as its name, I was understating things. Some of the stuff my ancestors invented… The Horcrux was one of those. It.. What it does is, by performing the Ritual, you literally rip your soul into pieces. That's why it was an abomination. The soul is meant to be whole. Having it in pieces…. It's a crime against nature and magic itself. You can, however, store a ripped piece inside an object or in some exceptional cases, a powerfully magical Dark Beast like a Basilisk, although it won't work if whatever you use has a soul of its own. The Horcrux would make it so that even if your primary soul piece died, a part of you would be still left on the mortal plane making you immortal for all intents and purposes. I happened to find out about it when I was looking through the library one day. I tried to burn the book right there with an Incendio, threw it in the fireplace , even took it to the safe room and unleashed Fiendfyre, which by the way, was another Black spell that all are Blacks expected to be fluent at immediately after we get our wand. Where did you think all the useless junk at HQ was going? I burnt it up after it was declared unfit for the house. Back to the topic at hand. So you understand why I was furious at Dumbledore? The less anyone knows about them, the better. Here, ignorance really is bliss, Hermione. Don't go looking for the book for information on how to destroy them either. I'll tell you right here. Fiendfyre can destroy it, that's why it was invented, you know, because not much can harm the very soul of a person. Basilisk venom also can, it rots your magical core, then body, then starts in on your soul, and it can only be countered by Phoenix Tears. Harry is the only one that's ever survived a bite to my knowledge. Dementor's Kiss, for obvious reasons, but the Dementor is as likely to kiss you as the Horcrux. And also, I believe, Gryffindor's sword, since it is Goblin made mithril, plus impregnated with Basilisk venom. That's all you'll ever need to know about the abominations, don't go looking for details. And don't ever mention it to anyone outside this room. That is one thing that no one should find out about, and I mean NO ONE, not friends, not family, no one. This. Stays. In. Here." The Marauder stated with an air of finality.

Every single one of the teens looked decidedly green at the concept and nodded their acceptance to Sirius' terms. Hermione's brain however was still working in overtime.

"Wait. More than one. What did you mean 'more than one'?" Hermione asked Sirius.

"The diary, Hermione, which Harry destroyed in second year, was a Horcrux. But then, when it was destroyed, his wraith should have vanished. Since it did not, it's obvious he made more than just one. What they are though, I have no bloody clue!" Sirius said as he buried his face in his hands.

"We will find them Sirius. That is what I have decided to dedicate all my time to. As soon as I find anything, you will be the first to know. As for the rest of you, I believe I can count on your help with any research, Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore said, turning to Hermione after patting Sirius on the arm. She nodded her head resolutely.

'_You'll do fine, love. Don't worry.' _Harry said as he rubbed her arm.

'_Thanks Harry.' _ Hermione sent back, leaning into him.

'_Whatever you need.' _Harry said, wrapping his arms around her before turning to Dumbledore.

"This is what I meant Professor. If you had kept this thing to yourself, we might have eventually found out all of what Sirius just told us, but it could have taken a long time. Now that you did, you can count on him to help you where needed. With his help and Hermione's help, you could find out more than you might have alone. So thank you for sharing this with us, and please remember this in the future too." Harry said to him.

"I will. Thank you for that Harry. There is one more topic I have wanted to discuss." The Headmaster said, before turning to look at each of the teens.

"Now, the six of you, whether intentionally or otherwise, have given me cause to believe that you will be in this fight regardless of whether I allow you to be or not. Am I correct?" he asked, watching as every last one nodded.

"Very well. You have proven yourself capable in battle. Surviving against Tom's best when outnumbered 2-1 is a feat few can boast of. Mostly uninjured? Even fewer. I would like to commend you Harry, on the marvelous job you have done with training your friends this past year. As such, I would like to offer you the chance to be a part of the Order. All of you, as I believe none of you will let Harry go off alone." Dumbledore said, smiling at them, as they all nodded their affirmation to the last statement, with Hermione hugging Harry tighter.

"Wow! Fred and George are going to be so jealous! But what about Mum, Professor?" Ron asked in an awed voice.

"I will talk to Molly myself. You don't know it yet, but in a single night, you six have done more to impede Voldemort than the Order has this past year. Every last one of the twelve you fought in the Department of Mysteries has been captured and will be put to trial by Amelia Bones herself. She will ensure that they get what's coming to them. Your tactics, however, are one thing she was exceptionally pleased with. None of them will be fit to hold a wand again, and none can complain as they were caught in full Death Eater regalia and were clearly trying to kill. Priori Incantatem showed nothing but Unforgivables and other Dark curses. This won't be pushed under the rug like last time. She wished me to pass on her compliments and tell you that none of you will be in trouble for breaking into the Ministry and the Underage magic you performed. She would like to meet you all and will be along later today. Also, Harry and Sirius, she told me to pass on that if she can get statements from the Death Eaters about Pettigrew being alive, she should be able to get Sirius a trial and exonerate him instantly if he is found innocent under Veritaserum." Dumbledore said as Sirius gave a loud whoop and rushed to hug Harry, pulling Hermione in too.

"We shall discuss your involvement in the Order later. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some other matters to attend to. Namely one High Inquisitor who, I'm sure you will be overjoyed to know, will never set foot inside Hogwarts again. Or the Ministry, for that matter. Make sure to bring the issue up with Madam Bones, she despises the woman and will be glad for any help you can provide in getting her sacked." Dumbledore said chuckling, as he got up and vanished his armchair before walking out of the Hospital Wing as the teens looked at each other, smiling gleefully. Everyone settled down again to finish their now forgotten and cold breakfast, with Sirius nicking toast off Harry's plate which earned him a rap on the head from Hermione.

'_Quite the last few hours we've had. And when did you find out the stuff about Voldemort?' _Harry asked Hermione as he picked up a roll from a basket before leaning back with Hermione settling between his legs as he wrapped an arm around her.

'_You didn't think I was just doing homework when you were practicing spells you wanted to teach us, did you?' _

'_Well, no, but why didn't you tell me about it?' _

'_You never asked. But I have prepared a file of sorts that lists as much information as I could find out. It's in my trunk right now. I'll give it to you later.' _

'_Thanks. So what do you think of being in the Order and Dumbledore's assistant?'_

'_Well I don't know how much I'll be able to help him-'_

She was interrupted when Harry burst out laughing, gaining them weird looks from their friends.

'_I'm sorry Hermione. That really was funny. You just proved five minutes ago how useful you can be. You dissected the prophecy in one minute while it took the Order one year. Dumbledore himself agreed, didn't he?_

'_Well yes, but-'_

'_Don't sell yourself short Hermione. Trust me, you'll do really well. Think of it as an extra credit project for DADA and you'll be fine.'_

'_Hmmm. You know, you're right about that. I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore about it later. If I can get it through, I should be able to ensure at least one Outstanding.'_

This caused Harry to groan before Hermione burst out giggling.

Ron looked up from the chess game he had set up with Ginny, both of them with shocked looks on their faces.

"Did-Did Hermione j-just giggle? Hermione Granger?" he asked looking utterly bewildered.

"Looks like Harry managed another impossible feat. They should hand him an Order of Merlin just for that!" Ginny said, bowing exaggeratedly to Harry, pointedly ignoring Hermione's glare. Sirius burst out laughing at this.

"Really pup! First you survive the Killing Curse, then kill a basilisk, then win the Triwizard Tournament, and finally, you make Hermione of all people giggle! Any advice for us lesser mortals?" Sirius asked with a somber face.

"You lot be thankful she can't use her wand." Neville said wisely, with Luna nodding along with him.

That shut the three of them right up. After a while, once everyone finished with breakfast they decided to go outside to enjoy the sun and forget their worries for a time, with Sirius declining due to safety concerns and the fact that he needed to get back to Headquarters. The six friends spent the rest of the day lazing about by the lake, enjoying freedom from exams and Umbridge, only heading into the castle to have lunch. Harry and Hermione spent most of the time cuddling and enjoying the occasional snog while tolerating the constant ribbing from Ginny. Luna seemed quite content to sit holding Ron's hand, who was certainly not complaining. This did manage to get Harry and Hermione a little reprieve when Ginny turned to Ron and Luna for a while. Neville just laid back and watched the fun, joining in and helping Ginny once in a while.

Later that evening, when they were returning from the lake as it was getting dark, they received a Patronus message from Dumbledore saying that he wanted them to come to his office to meet with Madam Bones.

The six of them dutifully trooped up to the Headmaster's Office before coming to stop in front of the gargoyle, realizing that they had no idea what the password was.

"Er.." Harry started awkwardly, before Luna gave a small laugh and stepped past him and faced the gargoyle.

"We have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore. He's expecting us and told us he wanted us to come to his office but forgot to give us the password. Could you please let us in?" she said to the stone statue.

"Luna, I don't think it.." Hermione started to say before the statue nodded and sprang aside, revealing the spiral staircase, much to her astonishment.

"Huh. I never knew it could do that." Ginny said, staring curiously at the statue as they walked up.

"Only Luna did, I think." Neville said as Harry knocked on the door.

"Come in." Professor Dumbledore's voice sounded from inside the room.

Harry pushed the door open to see a middle aged witch with short grey hair and the customary monocle in her eye sitting across from Dumbledore in front of his desk. Much to his surprise, Padfoot was also sitting beside Dumbledore's desk.

"Ah Harry, there you all are! May I introduce you to Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE. I believe you have met briefly?" Dumbledore said, with a twinkle in his eye.

The woman gave a derisive snort before speaking up.

"If by 'met' you meant at that bloody farce of a trial that our dear Minister and his 'upstanding members of society' set up then yes, we've met." Madam Bones said, causing Ginny to snicker.

"Ah yes. Anyway, Amelia, meet Ms. Hermione Granger, Mr. Ronald Weasley, Mr. Neville Longbottom, Ms. Ginevra Weasley, Ms. Luna Lovegood and of course Mr. Harry Potter." Dumbledore said, indicating each of them in turn as Amelia nodded at them.

"Good to meet you six. Embarrassing to know that what my Aurors couldn't do in a year was done by six teens yet to get their O.W.L.s in single night. Got Malfoy and that Lestrange bitch too. Who the hell trained you anyway? Mad-Eye? I know he's a member of Albus' Order." She asked looking at each of them.

"Nope. Harry did. And not just us either." Hermione stated, grinning proudly at a slightly embarrassed Harry.

"Really? Seems the Dumbledore's Army rumors flying about the Ministry are more fact than fiction eh?" Amelia asked, a clear smirk on her face.

"Several months before Umbridge found out, in fact." Ginny stated with a smirk of her own, not caring in the least that she just confessed supposed illegal activities to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Instead of reproving them, as Hermione fully expected, the older witch let out a laugh.

"Damn! They're good Albus! A pity they still have to finish N.E.W.T.s to be a part of the Aurors. Mad-Eye wasn't exaggerating, I see." Amelia said, shaking her head with mirth.

"Oh yes, Amelia. Even then, they wouldn't have been found out if one of theirs hadn't betrayed them to Umbridge. Anyway, to the matter at hand. I believe you had some questions?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, I did. First of all, how on earth did you find out about the attack? And why were you there at the Ministry" Amelia asked curiously.

"Um, I sort of had a vision, that my godfather was being tortured in the Prophecy room. So I wanted to make sure he was safe.."

Then Harry, with help from Hermione and the others at times, proceeded to tell her the entire story, knowing instinctively that she would be able to spot a lie. Amelia was staring at him, a little bewildered, by the time he finished with arriving at the Infirmary.

"Huh. I'm impressed, really. And that doesn't happen much, you know. Still, whatever happened, you lot got us a dozen Death Eaters who I have full reign to pump with Veritaserum now. That should set Fudge's knickers in a twist. Another thing I wanted you here for. Mr. Potter you may have been told over the years that your Godfather was a murdering bastard; obviously you don't believe it since you went to his rescue, but I am glad to be able to tell you that we have found new evidence that will let me exonerate him if he really is found innocent under interrogation by Veritaserum." Amelia said, her composure slipping a little at the last part.

'_Interesting.' _Hermione thought.

'_What is?' _Harry asked mentally.

'_She seems to have a vested interest in seeing Sirius freed. Harry I think we should introduce her to Padfoot.' _Hermione sent back.

'_You're sure?' _

'_One hundred percent.'_

'_Alright.'_

"They confessed that rat Wormtail is alive then? And if I get you to Sirius, you can make him a free man?" Harry asked staring into Amelia's eyes as his hand found Hermione's.

"Yes." She said, although now there was no doubt her composure had slipped as she was looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Alright then. Padfoot?" Harry asked looking at a spot over her shoulder, confusing her a bit.

Then Amelia heard a voice she hadn't heard in almost fourteen years, causing her to spin around as her eyes widened causing her monocle to fall out. Before her was standing Sirius Black, someone she thought she would never meet again, the look in his eyes clear proof of his innocence, and that it was who she thought it was.

"Hey Amy." He said, giving her a watery smile.

She choked back a sob, and flung herself into his arms, tears running down her face, much to the shock of the six students.

* * *

A/N: There, Chapter 5 a little early as I'm going to be missing for a few days. I decided to give Sirius a history with Amelia Bones. And she won't be as old as in canon, but in the year above the Marauders. Makes sense, since she's got a niece the same age as Harry. Also the grey hair and the reason she looks older will be explained next time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ministry Six**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belong to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters, places, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Harry and the rest of his friends looked on in shock as Sirius held onto a now sobbing Amelia Bones as he steered her back into her chair.

"Amy we have time for the reunion later. Right now you have a job to do yeah?" Sirius said as he rubbed her back.

"Umm Sirius? Care to explain?" Harry asked, totally bewildered.

"I'll tell you all about it later pup." Sirius said as Amelia stood up and dried her eyes as she took deep breaths to calm herself.

"Right. Pop your mouth open." Amelia said, as she drew out a small vial from inside her robes. She placed three drops on the tip of Sirius' tongue when he stuck it out. She pulled out a notepad and a Dicta-Quill that she activated with a flick of her wand while watching his eyes glaze over as the Veritaserum took effect.

"Subject of Interrogation: Sirius Black. Right let's get this over with. Do you recognize yourself as Sirius Orion Black?"

"I do."

"Are you a Death Eater or were you ever one at any point in your life?"

"No."

"Were you the one who betrayed the Potters?"

"No. That was Peter."

"You are also charged with the murder of Peter Pettigrew, Order of Merlin Third class, twelve muggles and the breach of the Statute of Secrecy the day after Voldemort vanished. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty to all three"

"What happened to Pettigrew?"

"The rat started screaming about how I betrayed James and Lily when I confronted him. Then he blew up the street killing the twelve muggles. He cut off his finger before he transformed into a real rat, he's an animagus, in the confusion and ran away down a sewer making it look like I killed him."

"Why did this not come out at your trial?"

"I did not receive one."

"WHAT?"

"I did not receive a trial."

"Why?"

"Barty Crouch and Cornelius Fudge decided I was guilty and a trial would waste time, so they took me straight to Azkaban the day I was captured."

Amelia was positively seething by this time.

"I don't bloody believe this! Even Bellatrix Lestrange got a trial! I'll make damn sure Cornelius takes the fall for this, just you wait. Here you go Sirius." She said as she gave him the antidote.

"So I'm free?" he asked hopefully. Amelia sighed.

"Unfortunately, no. As much as I would like to declare you innocent right here, I can't." she said as Sirius' face fell.

"I'm sorry Sirius. I know now that you were never charged, but you were arrested. You should have received a trial, which would have declared you free. So that's exactly what we will do." Amelia said.

"But Amelia, Fudge won't let me even reach the courtroom! Dementor's Kiss on sight, remember?" Sirius said.

"I know. Don't worry Sirius, I'll take care of everything. Dumbledore, how quickly can you convene a session of the Wizengamot for the Death Eater trials?" Amelia asked turning to the Headmaster.

"Probably before the week is out. Fudge is very eager to make up for slandering Harry and myself, and also to distance himself from Lucius Malfoy." Dumbledore said.

"Excellent. That's when we'll stage it. Right at the end. We get all of them to say Pettigrew is alive. Then we introduce you. The Wizengamot will be bending over backwards to declare you innocent. After all, if something like this could happen to the Head of House Black, it could happen to anyone. Till then, you stay hidden. Is that alright with you?" Amelia said.

Sirius nodded, giving her a wide grin. Amelia sighed before stepping forward and wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Why didn't you come to me before Sirius? I could have helped you!" she said softly.

"I didn't want to put you in that position Amelia. I had no proof of my innocence then. Now that you have eyewitness accounts of Wormtail, it's a different story. So how about dropping the glamour now? As much as I love you, this older woman thing is freaking me out." Sirius said, shuddering a bit.

Amelia snorted and stepped back before pulling back a sleeve and tapping the metal bracer on her arm with her wand. Instantly the gray cropped hair was replaced with a fiery red that fell to her shoulders. Several of the age lines on her face vanished and her face altered subtly. All in all, after she was done, she didn't look a day over forty, unlike the fifty she had looked earlier.

Apart from Sirius and Dumbledore, everyone stared at her in shock, something that seemed to amuse her greatly.

"H-How did-" Hermione sputtered before she was cut off by Amelia.

"How did I turn 10 years younger? It's quite simple. I've been using a glamour charm. My Susan is about your age and my brother and I were twins. It would be really weird if twins were born a decade apart." Amelia said, snickering at the astonished looks on the groups faces as she seated herself in her armchair.

"But why on earth would you make yourself look older?" Ginny asked her.

"I was an Auror since twenty years of age, made team leader at twenty five and was Head of the Rapid Response division by twenty eight. The Head of the DMLE back then decided my leadership and organizational skills were better than by dueling skills. So he named me as his successor and I found myself in his job at thirty. Tell me Ms. Weasley, how many arrogant Pureblood males would deign to take orders from a woman several years their younger?" Amelia asked as Ginny nodded in realization.

"But didn't anyone notice the change?" Harry asked.

"Well no, not really. It's a specialized glamour, with a mild Confundus Charm built in that makes whoever looks at me believe that this was how I always looked. Algernon Croaker made it. Your great uncle I believe." Amelia said inclining her head towards Neville, who nodded.

"So what about you and Sirius? How did that happen?" Ginny asked curiously. According to her mother, Sirius Black was well known as a playboy during his time at Hogwarts.

"Oh he was in the year below me. So we actually knew each other since Hogwarts but not too well. We got partnered after he finished Auror training. He was a little irritating at first but he calmed down somewhat after a few months. We hooked up once he stopped trying to hit on me every waking second." Amelia said.

"Ironic right? Who knew that the only thing I would have to do to get her to agree to a date was shut up?" Sirius said with a grin.

"Not many people knew about us though because it was safer that way. Only my parents, brother and James and Lily." Amelia said.

"Yeah. We were together three years before I got sent to Azkaban." Sirius said, sticking out his chest.

"Huh. Sirius Black tamed. What did dad say?" Harry asked with a wicked grin.

"Prongs couldn't say a word since I pointed out that he was pretty much whipped by Lily since before they even started going out. You seem to be headed the same way pup." Sirius said, matching him grin of his own, which was wiped off his face at Hermione's glare.

"Anyway people, enough speculating on my love life. Amelia you had something more to discuss I believe?" Sirius said clearing his throat.

"Oh right, the Death Eaters you captured. They all have the Dark Mark so that is not a problem. What I wanted to ask is if you were willing to come to the Ministry and provide your eyewitness accounts." Amelia said sobering up.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a while before answering.

'_Should we do this?'_

'_It's up to you Harry. Although, if you do agree, I think we should insist on testifying under Veritaserum.'_

'_Good idea. That will ensure they can't claim I'm lying again. We should get the others' opinion too.'_

Hermione nodded and turned to the rest of their group and raised an eyebrow. They understood immediately and nodded their acceptance.

Harry turned to Amelia and answered for all of them.

"We'll do it. But only under Veritaserum and only you will ask questions. No one else." Harry said firmly.

"And we don't want to see Umbridge there. I swear, if I see that bitch again I'll hex her into oblivion myself." Ginny said with venom in her voice while everyone else nodded.

Amelia was a little taken aback at the absolute hostility in her tone.

"Not that I don't agree, that woman really grates on my nerves, but what did she do to you?" Amelia asked.

"Harry? Show her the hand." Ron said. Harry pulled his hand out of Hermione's and extended it towards Amelia who bent forward to get a good look.

"Blood Quill, Madam Bones." Hermione said grimly as Amelia's eyes grew wide at the implications.

"How sure are you that these belong to her?" she demanded.

"Oh we're pretty sure Madam Bones. She has been using it to make us write lines during detention." Luna said.

Amelia looked thoroughly shocked at this bit of news.

"Most of the D.A. is intimately familiar with them. A lot of other students are too. Harry had it worst." Neville said in a matter of fact tone.

"But they are class three restricted items! They are only supposed to be used for signing highly sensitive documents! How on earth did she get so many?" Amelia said, looking shocked. This was something she would have to check out immediately. It would also help get rid of Umbridge as a bonus.

"There's more Madam Bones. That foul excuse of a woman also threatened the use of the Cruciatus Curse on Harry just yesterday because he refused to cooperate. She almost used it too. So you can see why we aren't feeling too charitable towards her at the moment." Hermione said, her anger clearly showing.

'_Calm down Hermione. She didn't get to use it. Thank you for that by the way.'_ Harry said as he grasped her hand again, running the back of it with his thumb as Hermione settled down.

Amelia, meanwhile, looked absolutely horrified and Sirius looked like he wanted to stomp on a toad.

"This is insane! How on earth was that woman allowed to teach students after all this? Why wasn't she thrown out of the castle? And why on earth did no one report this?" Amelia asked, now thoroughly pissed off.

"Amelia you know as well as I do that I had no power to intervene despite being Headmaster. The Board would have thrown me out immediately if I would have acted against her. You can ask the students how bad it was once I was forced to flee. And don't forget, Dolores had the Minister's personal backing." Dumbledore said grimly.

"And as for reporting it to someone, who the bloody hell were we supposed to tell?" Ron asked rhetorically.

"No one at the school could help or they would be fired. And she was a Ministry representative after all." Ginny said.

"And even if we ignore that Madam Bones, the Ministry spent the whole of the last year spreading the word the word that Harry was a lying, deranged, attention-seeking lunatic. Why would we go to them?" Hermione said.

"There's also the fact that the letters coming and going out of the castle were being inspected." Luna said.

"And there's the fact that if anyone was caught saying anything against the High Inquisitor, Umbridge would immediately mess up their lives." Neville said.

By now Amelia looked thoroughly sick that something like this had been going on at Hogwarts and she had no idea. She had tried her best to curb the slander campaign against Harry but had virtually no support at the Ministry and was constantly overruled by Fudge. Susan had told her a little about this but had never said it was to this magnitude. She would have to have a talk with her niece later.

"Very well. I am sorry that you felt that way about the Ministry but I promise you that I will do my best to ensure that these injustices will be corrected. And thank you for letting me know about the Blood Quills. The possession of such items should be enough for me to arrest and charge her. I'll get some Aurors down here to search her quarters immediately." She said.

Harry nodded in satisfaction. Things were going well so far. Then he remembered where Umbridge was. They had only said that they had given her the slip when they decided to go to the Ministry after she had caught them using her Floo.

'_Umm… Hermione?'_

'_You're going to ask me how to tell her that we got Umbridge kidnapped by the centaurs?'_

'_How did you- Never mind. Yeah that's what I wanted to ask.'_

'_Tell her the truth.'_

'_Okay. Here goes .'_

'_Don't worry Harry, I'll help.'_

Harry cleared his throat before speakingup.

"Uh, Madam Bones?" he asked nervously.

"There might be a problem with arresting her right now. You remember how I said that we gave her the slip to go to the Ministry?" Hermione said just as nervously.

"Yes what about it?" Amelia asked with a growing sense of dread.

"Well we forgot to mention how we did it." Harry said.

"You see we told her that we were doing something highly illegal for Professor Dumbledore and that it was hidden in the Forbidden Forest." Hermione said fidgeting in her seat. True, it had been Umbridge, but lying to a Professor was not something she advocated. One of the only times had been when she had lied in first year to McGonagall for Harry. Now that she thought about it, the rest of the times were also for Harry.

"So she insisted that we lead her to it. Inside the Forest, we ran into a herd of centaurs. Umbridge started offending them and naturally they weren't pleased. So they kind of kidnapped her and dragged her away. They left us alone because they said they didn't harm the young." Harry said. This was not exactly true, since they had only said that the first time they had gone to see Grawp and it was he who had saved them from the same fate as Umbridge this time. However, he wasn't about to tell the Head of the DMLE, no matter who she was, that Hagrid had illegally hidden his giant half-brother in the Forest and that too so close to the school.

Amelia sighed. This was not going to be pleasant. Umbridge was one of the most vehement supporters for any bills against the 'filthy half-breeds' as she called them and was responsible for writing a number of the laws against them herself. Left alone with a centaur herd, there was no telling what damage she could have caused.

"Fine. I'll send some Aurors to get her back. I just hope she is alive so that I can crucify her." She said, thinking of all the problems the vile woman had caused recently.

"You needn't worry about that Amelia. I will take care of it myself. I have good relations with the centaurs and should be able to get her back in one piece." Dumbledore said serenely.

No one missed the fact that he said 'one piece' and not unharmed or unhurt, not that they cared much.

Amelia nodded her thanks before getting up.

"Alright then. That's all. Dumbledore, you can expect my Aurors in about an hour. Sirius, stay hidden and stay safe. I want to talk to you later. The six of you expect my word next week on when the trials are being held. Also, I will try to get Umbridge and Fudge fired at the same time so please try and make it." Amelia said.

All the six students nodded gleefully along with Sirius. Watching Malfoy, Umbridge, Fudge, Bellatrix and the rest of the Death Eaters get their due wasn't something they wanted to miss. For Harry, the fact that Sirius would also get his freedom made it all the more important.

Amelia nodded once again and kissed Sirius on the cheek before walking to the Floo and vanishing in a rush of flames.

Dumbledore turned to face the six students and Sirius.

"As productive as today has been, I fear it is getting late and Madam Pomfrey has insisted that you get you required rest. However, we do face a problem." He said looking between Harry and Hermione.

"I would like you to visit Madam Pomfrey, Harry and Hermione. She should be able to tell you if the bond between you has stabilized enough to let you sleep apart. Whatever her instructions, I have had the elves prepare a separate suite of rooms for you. All of you. The Prophet will be reporting the events at the Ministry tomorrow, and as you know, it will cause you a fair amount of disturbance from students wanting the story first hand and I think you would like the privacy." Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded, knowing exactly what that felt like.

"But I must impress upon you two that I am trusting you to ensure that nothing inappropriate will take place in the event that you are required to be together, do you understand?" Dumbledore said looking them both in the eye as Ginny snickered in the background.

"Absolutely Professor. You can trust us." Hermione said primly, although there was a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Very well. Off you go then. Sirius, could you stay back? I have some Order business for you." Dumbledore said as he sat back.

Sirius nodded as he accepted a hug from Harry.

"See you later Sirius." Harry said as he took Hermione's hand and walked out of the door.

* * *

A/N: There you go. Chapter 6 finished. Amelia and Sirius explained. Their seeming difference in age explained. And Padfoot's gonna be free! With Umbridge getting screwed! Anyway, exam's over so you can expect an update every alternate day now that i have nothing else to do!


	7. Chapter 7

**Ministry Six**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belongs to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters , places, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Ronald Weasley walked into the room followed by his best mate Harry Potter as and his sister Ginny Weasley, all carrying their respective broomsticks. Hermione Granger, their other best friend, looked up from the book and smirked at Ron, waiting for the explosion.

"Bloody Hell! Harry, mate, I swear by Merlin that I take back everything I ever said about your fame. That was bloody insane!" He said loudly as he sank down on the couch opposite her. Hermione had felt Harry's amusement through their bond and he had been giving her a blow by blow account as quite a few girls tried to flirt with Ron during their impromptu Quidditch game with the other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and during the walk back to the private suite which Hermione shared with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna. It was actually like a smaller version of Gryffindor Tower with individual rooms in place of dorms. Dumbledore had provided the rooms as a refuge for the six teens from the rest of the castle.

It had been a week since the incident at the Ministry had taken place. The story had broken in the Daily Prophet one day after the incident and Harry suddenly found himself back in the good graces of the Wizarding Public, the same ones that had been calling him a delusional, attention seeking liar for a whole year. This time though, the five of Harry's friends who had gone with him to 'rescue' his godfather had also found themselves in the limelight.

This sudden fame had led to a major change in how the little group was seen by the rest of the students. After all, facing off a dozen Death Eaters, getting them arrested while barely being injured, and then being praised for it in the Daily Prophet could do that.

The female population of the school had suddenly started trying to catch the attention of the boys and the male population was vying for a chance with the girls. Harry had had to tolerate this in the past by virtue of being the 'Boy-Who-Lived' and was finding it amusing to watch the rest of his friends struggle with the hero-worship they were now being subjected to.

They had stopped chasing after Harry however since Hermione had made their status as a couple clear by snogging Harry right in the middle of dinner after hexing Romilda Vane who had been flirting shamelessly with him.

This still left Ron and Neville open though as they weren't known to be in a relationship yet. Ginny had hexed at least two dozen boys who had tried to get close to her and dumped her current boyfriend Dean, who had been getting too clingy for her tastes. Luna was also struggling with the newfound attention, but no one dared to bother her since Ginny and Hermione had put a sixth year Gryffindor, Cormac McLaggen, in the Infirmary for getting a little too close for Luna's comfort.

Unfortunately, the six of them had also attracted the wrong kind of attention. The article in the Prophet had named every Death Eater that had been caught that night.

Draco Malfoy had taken issue with his father being revealed for what he was. Along with six of his goons he had confronted Harry, Hermione and Ron as the trio returned to the castle after visiting Hagrid. The usual verbal sparring had almost escalated into spellfire, which was just prevented by the timely arrival of Minerva McGonagall.

"Stop whining Ron. You don't want the attention? Then grow some balls and ask Luna out. The girls might just leave you alone." Ginny said as she sat beside her brother and propped her feet on the table.

"Or they might just try harder." she added after a moments thought.

"Enough teasing him Ginny. Ron, clearly been interested in you for a while. Just ask her out mate." Harry said as he sat on the arm of Hermione's chair and pecked her on the cheek. Hermione snorted at the statement.

"Look who's giving advice." Ginny said snickering.

"Hey! I got Hermione didn't I?" Harry asked indignantly.

"Yeah, you got Hermione. After you two danced around each other for years, shared another near death experience, got into her head, and she jumped you in the Great Hall. You got her mate. Real smooth." Ron said in a bored voice.

Hermione groaned at that.

"Will you lay off? I did it once! Once!" She said desperately. Ginny had been teasing her about that lapse in judgement constantly ably aided by Neville, who had outgrown his shyness during the year due to being in the presence of Ginny so much. The fiery redhead had really improved Neville's self confidence. Facing down a dozen of Voldemort's best and surviving did help too.

"Well I wish Luna would do that too. Then I might get a respite." Ron said glumly.

"What do you wish I would do Ronald?" the blonde in question asked as she walked into their 'common room' followed by Neville.

Ron paled but Ginny got an evil look in her eye that only Hermione saw.

"Oh nothing at all Luna, he just wishes you would snog him in the middle of the Great Hall during dinner." Ginny said nonchalantly as she folded her arms behind her head and leaned back.

Ron paled further if that was even possible. Harry, Hermione and Neville stared at the smirking redhead with open mouths. Luna just looked oddly at Ron.

"Well then why didn't you just say so?" Luna said to Ron who was now blushing furiously as his mouth opened and closed, unsuccessfully trying to form words.

"I'll do it tonight then." Luna said as she nodded to herself and walked past them up to her room.

"Thank me later Ron, I need a shower right now." Ginny said, smirking at her brother and walking to her room followed by four pairs of eyes.

"Did she just?" Hermione started but failed to complete her question.

"Set Ron up? Yep." Harry said as he shook his head.

Neville just laughed and headed to his own room after patting Ron on the shoulder, leaving the trio alone.

Ron turned to his two best friends hoping for some understanding and support. Instead he found them barely holding their laughter in. He looked at them beseechingly but they only laughed at his expression.

"I'm sorry Ron. All I can say is just go with it mate." Harry said as he stood up to head to his room.

"And be careful what you wish for in the future." Hermione said as she shut her book and headed after Harry, smirking at Ron as she passed. She did notice that his woeful expression was replaced with a faint smile as she entered the room she was temporarily sharing with Harry on account of their still tender bond.

**Later **

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table for dinner with Harry one her left and Neville on the right. Across from her was Luna flanked by Ron and Ginny. The quirky blonde had actually done as she had said to Ron. She had walked into the Hall halfway through dinner with Ginny and headed straight for Ron. She calmly tapped his shoulder and when he turned around to see who the three across from him were smirking at, Luna grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up before thoroughly snogging him, much to the amusement of the rest of the boys and the disappointment of quite a few girls. Finally, it took McGonagall threatening them with detention to get them to separate.

Hermione was disturbed from her musings and dessert as Harry nudged her mentally and pointed upwards. She saw a large brown owl descending towards them. The owl stopped in front of Harry and held out its leg. Hermione watched as Harry removed the package and the owl flew away instantly.

Sure enough, it was from Madam Bones just as Harry had thought.

"The trials are this Sunday. That was the official letter from Madam Bones. She included your letters too." Harry said as he handed out five pieces of parchment

"That's the day after we get home tomorrow. Cutting it close." Ginny observed as her eyes skimmed over the letter, confirming Harry's words.

"That reminds me. Neville, Luna, did you get the address for Headquarters from Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione asked them.

"Yeah, we got it earlier today. I'll be leaving for my yearly expedition for my father after the hearing though. We should be back in three weeks." Luna said.

"What she said. I'm going to be free though. Just let me know when the training sessions Professor Dumbledore is scheduling are." Neville said as he ate a piece of pie.

"You don't need to worry Luna. My family will be on vacation for about two weeks too, and Harry is coming with us. And Neville, Dumbledore will be telling us about the lessons himself after dinner." Hermione said.

"Are you sure it's safe for Harry to be in the open?" Ron asked cautiously. Hermione nodded and finished swallowed before speaking again.

"It should be. Sirius should be free by then so he will be coming. And Madam Bones is also providing an Auror escort." Hermione said.

"But won't that just draw more attention?" Neville asked, confused.

"It would if it wasn't Tonks. She's Sirius' cousin, so it will be like a regular family vacation. And she's a Metamorphmagus." Harry said.

"Ah that explains it." Neville said nodding.

"And besides, all of us are getting exemptions for this summer." Hermione said grinning widely.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Exemptions from the Restriction for Underage Sorcery. We still have to obey the statute of secrecy but that's all right." Harry said smirking at the dumbfounded looks.

'_Think we broke them?' _Hermione asked.

'_Nah, give them a second. And put up a privacy ward.' _Harry said. Hermione had just finished it when they were faced with a torrent of questions.

Harry held his hand up for silence and they grudgingly fell quiet.

"Why didn't we tell you before?"

"We just found out before dinner."

"How did we find out?"

"From Sirius."

"Who got it from Madam Bones."

"Why are we getting them?"

"We are now classed as high-profile targets."

"For Death Eaters."

"And one last thing."

"Keep this to yourself."

"Don't spread it around."

"Tell absolutely no one."

"But your parents are fine."

Harry and Hermione finished together as Ginny groaned.

"The twins were not enough, were they? Now we have these two doing the same." She muttered as the rest burst out laughing.

"All right guys. We won't tell. This is because of the training we'll be getting?" Ron asked once the laughter subsided, getting a nod from Hermione.

"Yeah. And like we said, we did manage to get quite a few Death Eaters captured. They will be out for blood now, and so will Voldemort." Harry said.

"Just remember, someone from the Order will always be close by to help, but keep your wands with you at all times." Hermione said.

"Constant Vigilance." Ginny said sagely, causing another round of laughter to break out.

After dinner was over, Dumbledore caught Harry's eye and nodded.

'_Let's go. We need to meet Dumbledore in his office.' _Harry said mentally as he squeezed Hermione's hand.

She nodded and got up from her seat, closely followed by the rest. The six of them walked calmly to the Headmaster's office and entered after giving the password to the gargoyle. They found the office empty except for the snoring portraits and the still growing Fawkes, who the girls spent time cooing over.

About five minutes later, Dumbledore walked into his office and took his chair. The girls left Fawkes and walked over to where the boys were sitting and turned their attention to Dumbledore as he started talking.

"I have called you here, as you well know, to inform you of the schedule for the training I promised you would receive during the summer. I also wanted to properly inform you of your status in the Order." He said as looked at them over his half-moon glasses. The six teenagers sat up straight at that.

"I'm sure that Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Lovegood have been informed what the Order of the Phoenix is?" Dumbledore asked, receiving nods from Neville and Luna.

"Yes Professor. The four of them explained everything." Neville said.

"Good. Then you know that while we do have quite a few capable fighters, the Order is primarily an intelligence gathering organization. We do however carry out a few tasks on the side that the Ministry can't or won't." Dumbledore said.

"The liaison with the Giants." Luna said.

"Precisely Ms. Lovegood. Although unfortunately we weren't able to achieve much. Anyway, that is beside the point. Now I had told you that you had proven yourself as capable of handling yourself quite well and offered you a place in the Order." Dumbledore said looking at the nodding heads.

"However, although I'm sure that Harry trained you well, he still is a student just like you, albeit a quite talented one. He can't be expected to bring you up to the level you will need to be in order to survive. You did well in the Department of Mysteries, which is true. But I cannot let you undertake any other such tasks without being absolutely sure about your abilities. Don't get me wrong, I know how talented and capable you all are. I would just like to see that talent honed to its finest. To that end, I will be taking up your training personally as and when I get the time." Dumbledore said smiling.

"We understand Professor." Harry said speaking for all of them. " But won't you be busy what with the school and ministry and the Horcruxes?"

"I will. That is why, in my absence you will by taught by Alastor Moody, Filius Flitwick and Minerva McGonagall. This time it will be the real Mad-Eye Moody who will be teaching you, and I'm sure he will be able to teach you a few tricks he learned in his long career that the fake one could not. Professor Flitwick, as you know was a dueling champion in his youth, and is a better fighter now than he was then. Professor McGonagall is one of the the foremost Transfiguration Mistresses in Europe, and as you probably observed in the DoM, Transfiguration can have quite a few useful applications in battle." Dumbledore said.

"Like blocking Unforgivables." Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Precisely. I will leave it to them how they teach you however. Now, on to other matters. You have received the date for the trials?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes Professor. We got them during dinner" Harry said.

"Good. Amelia and I have planned out how Sirius will be introduced and given a trial. We are completely sure that the court will have no chance whatsoever but to acquit him. His interrogation and testimony is already registered with the DMLE. All that remains is a mere formality that Fudge will be happy to perform." Dumbledore said.

"I thought Madam Bones was going to get Fudge sacked?" Ginny asked confused.

"She is, but not before she coerces him into going along with her plans for Sirius and giving her more funding for her Aurors and their training." Dumbledore said grinning.

"And Umbridge?" Ron asked.

"Already sacked. Her sentencing is all that remains." Dumbledore said as the room broke out in wide smiles.

"Um, sorry to put a damper on this, but Professor what about the Horcruxes?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Ah yes. I have unexpected good news on the search." Dumbledore said, smiling as he watched them all perk up immediately.

"As you know, Sirius' House-Elf, Kreacher, had lied to Harry when asked about Sirius' whereabouts. This led us to question him as we believe this may have been planned by Voldemort and that Kreacher had been in contact with one of the Death Eaters or sympathizers from the Black family, probably Narcissa Malfoy or Bellatrix Lestrange. We found out that he had indeed been informing them on Sirius' relationship with Harry, hence the vision. As completely unexpected side effect, however, when questioned about anything else he had hidden from us, he led us to the collection of odds and ends he had scavenged from the purge of the house." Dumbledore said with twinkling eyes.

"You found one there? In Grimmauld Place?" Hermione asked thunderstruck.

"Yes Ms. Granger. Slytherin's Locket. Sirius has destroyed it already. How it came to be there, we do not know, nor are we much concerned with it at the moment. All that matters is that it has been dealt with." Dumbledore said smiling.

"Yeah. But it was pure luck, sir. Next one probably won't be this easy." Harry said.

"That is true, Harry, but we can always hope. And I do have a lead on the next one, that I'll tell you all about once we have a little more time." Dumbledore said. "But now, it's getting late and you should know one last thing. This summer, there will be one Order Guard with each of you till the time you arrive at the Headquarters. Also, you will be given an exemption by Amelia that will allow you the use of your wands this summer. Please do not abuse it."

"We already know Professor. Harry told us at dinner." Ginny said, grinning.

"Sirius informed you then? Very well. That was all. You may return to your rooms." Dumbledore said, smiling as they nodded and trooped out of the office.

"So what do you think about the no missions part?" Ron asked after everyone was back in their common room.

"It's fairly reasonable. And it's only till we get trained properly." Harry said.

"I thought so too. I mean, we were mostly winning because of the element of surprise when were in the Department of Mysteries. If we had stuck to stunning and disarming like they thought we would, we would have been slaughtered." Hermione said as she touched her chest. There was no physical reminder of the wound she had suffered, mainly thanks to Harry, but she still remembered the incredible pain it had caused before she blacked out.

'_I'm never going to let anything like that happen again Hermione.' _Harry said as he pulled her closer on the couch.

'_I know Harry.' _Hermione said mentally, thankful for his presence.

"Well it's not like we didn't do a bit of disarming though. And they were pretty stunned when they lost their wand hands I think." Ginny drawled, trying to bring some levity into the situation. She was immediately rewarded with groans at her bad pun.

"What? It's true!" she said as she dodged a pillow thrown by her brother.

"Never mind." Hermione said. "I'm going to bed. It's late and we have to catch the train tomorrow. Coming Harry?"

"Yes Harry, go on. It's rude to keep a lady waiting. Although it's in doubt if she qualifies as a lady with what probably happens in there." Ginny said smirking at a reddening Harry and ignoring Hermione's glare.

"I'll have you know, Ginevra, that we have done nothing of that sort." Hermione said heatedly, adding a mental 'yet' at the end that only Harry heard, making him blush harder.

"Ugh. Ginny I really don't need to know what my two best friends do to each other in their bedroom." Ron said, shifting uncomfortably as Hermione shifted her glare to him.

"Oh really Granger? Then what's with all the privacy and locking charms at night?" Ginny asked smugly.

"The locking charms are there to make sure you can't sneak in to use the opportunity to play a prank." Harry said quickly. "You are far too much like Fred and George for us to take the risk."

"That's right. So you can get your mind out of the gutter now." Hermione said primly as dragged Harry of to their room.

Ginny snorted once the door banged shut and she was sure Hermione wasn't able to hear her.

"It's really easy to set her off, isn't it?" Ginny asked rolling her eyes as Neville nodded.

"They're probably just snogging." Neville said.

"Whatever. I still didn't need those images in my head." Ron said getting up.

"Well I'll help you get them out then." Luna said as she followed him. Ron immediately grabbed her hand and quickened his pace.

"Bloody Hypocrite." Ginny snorted.

* * *

A/N: So there's Chapter 7. I know i said every alternate day but my poor laptop broke down. Anyway, this one's more of a filler chapter, although one Horcrux is dealt with off screen. A little innuendo, something you can find within all close knit groups of sixteen year olds. And Luna being Luna. As for the sudden flirting and stuff? Well Wizarding Britain was always very fickle.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ministry Six **

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belongs to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters , places, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Hermione stepped off the Hogwarts Express, closely followed by her boyfriend Harry Potter.

_'Come on Harry. We'll have to cross the barrier to meet my parents.' _Hermione said as she pulled on his hand, waving goodbye to their other friends who would be leaving directly from the magical side of Platform 9 and 3/4.

"Bye guys, see you in a few weeks! And don't forget to write!" Hermione called over her shoulder as Harry waved to Ron and Ginny who were looking for the Weasleys with Luna and Neville who headed off to look for his Grandmother. They waved back as the six friends separated to go to their respective families. Harry shrunk his and Hermione's trunks and put them in his pocket before Hermione started dragging him towards the barrier again. They stepped through the barrier and onto the muggle side of Kings Cross station to see Tonks waiting for them.

"Wotcher Harry, Hermione. The Grangers are over there with Sirius." Tonks said while hooking her thumb over her shoulder.

She led them through the crowds and they spied the older Grangers standing with Padfoot at their feet, who gave a happy bark on seeing them, running forward to tackle Harry

Hermione laughed at Sirius' enthusiastic greeting despite having seen Harry just a few days ago before she shot off and hugged her mother, who happily returned the hug. Hermione then caught her father in a tight hug as Harry, Sirius and Tonks looked on amusedly.

Hermione disentangled herself from her parents and dragged them over to introduce Harry.

"Mum, Dad, meet Harry Potter, my boyfriend. Harry, this is my father Daniel Granger and my mum Emma." Hermione said happily.

Daniel Granger was a tall well built man with Hermione's brown eyes and was quite fit despite his age and profession. Emma looked almost like an older Hermione except with blue eyes and was still really beautiful despite the faint signs of aging.

Harry nervously shook Dan's hand before Emma gently pushed her husband out of the way and hugged Harry, ignoring his offered hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you properly Harry. And don't mind Dan, he's just being a bit of a jerk." She said, indicating Hermione's father who had been glowering slightly at Harry since Hermione introduced him as her boyfriend

"Uh that's fine Mrs. Granger." Harry said nervously as Hermione grabbed his hand and smiled reassuringly at him before scowling at her father.

Dan sighed and cleared his throat.

"Yes well, nice to meet you Harry. Come along all of you. Let's go if you aren't going to let me have my fun." He said.

"Hold on. Hermione where are your things?" Emma asked.

"Oh I have them. They've been shrunk. Makes it easy to carry." Harry said. Emma shot him a pleased look, while Dan gave him an annoyed one as they moved towards the exit.

'_Well he doesn't seem too happy to see me.' _Harry said mentally.

Hermione giggled slightly, a recent occurrence that never failed to amaze Harry.

_"Don't worry about him, Harry. He's not really like that; he's usually pretty harmless despite being so big. He's just trying to intimidate you as a part of some sort of code that fathers are supposed to follow when their daughters bring home a boyfriend. Mum will keep him in line, you'll see." _Hermione sent back as they walked towards a parked Audi SUV.

'_I hope so. Oh by the way Hermione, do they know about Sirius?' _Harry asked as he shot a look at his godfather, who was hamming it up as a dog, running around and chasing pigeons, much to the amusement of the group.

'_Yeah. Professor Dumbledore explained it to them when he went over to raise the temporary wards for the time you're staying over.' _Hermione explained.

'_Good. I didn't want them to be surprised when Sirius changes back suddenly. He still is famous as the mass murderer back from third year.' _Harry said.

'_Honestly Harry. I explained it to them during the summer.' _Hermione said as she rolled her eyes, getting into the car.

Hermione's mother was sending them curious looks.

'_Uh oh. Mum noticed our telepathy I think.' _Hermione said before she started to speak aloud.

"Uh mum, dad, Professor Dumbledore told you about the trials tomorrow, right?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, when he came around to set the ward things. Said you are giving some sort of testimony?" Emma asked.

"Yup. We'll tell you about it once we have time alright?" Hermione said as she shot Harry a look.

They arrived at the Grangers' residence a little while later. Dan spent the first half of the drive glowering at Harry, who was sitting holding hands with Hermione in the back seat, much to the amusement of Tonks and Sirius, who was curled up at Harry's feet. Finally Emma had gotten tired of it and smacked him on the head, after which he smiled sheepishly at her and concentrated on the road.

The Grangers' house was a medium sized two floored building with high hedges on all sides. There was a separate two car garage off to the side. The front garden was well maintained, but quite unlike the Dursleys'. Sirius transformed back to human once there was no chance of him being seen.

"Hermione why don't you go show Harry and the others around? And put away your school things and get changed." Emma said as she led Dan inside, probably to warn him off trying to give Harry a hard time.

"Okay mum. Come on you people." Hermione said as she pulled on Harry's hand.

"You show Harry and Sirius around Hermione. I've got to have a look around first." Tonks said as she moved off.

"Alright then. The ground floor has a sitting room, the dining room, the kitchen, where we usually eat, and the entertainment room that dad built a few years ago. The first floor has two guest bedrooms with a shared bathroom and the library. I ran out of space in my room so mum and dad combined two of the bedrooms for more space. The top floor has the master bedroom and my bedroom, both with their own bathrooms. Any questions?" Hermione said, rattling off details as she led them around the house.

"Uh yeah. Where am I sleeping? Because as much as I liked our arrangement at school, I don't think your dad will be too pleased with us sleeping in the same bed." Harry said quickly and Hermione smiled at him as they entered her bedroom.

"You're with Sirius in one of the guest bedrooms. Tonks will have the other one. Anything else?" Hermione asked, ignoring Sirius' meaningful looks at Harry's statement, as she sat on her bed, with Harry looking over all her awards for exceptional academic performance in muggle school.

"No... that's it." Harry said, also trying to ignore Sirius, who got their attention by clearing his throat.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone to talk then. I need to go see Tonks about her report." Sirius said before he walked out, but not giving the two teens a meaningful look.

"Honestly! What is it with all these people thinking that all we do is snog when we're alone?" Hermione said as she rolled her eyes. Harry smirked as he sat down beside her.

"You can't deny that there isn't a little truth in that." He pointed out.

"Oh shush Harry. You know what I mean. Anyway, we should be careful about that around dad, at least till he gets to know you better, okay?" Hermione said.

"Sure. I don't need to give him another reason to kill at me." Harry said.

"Oh don't worry about him. Mum's probably sorting him out right now. Anyway have you ever had Chinese?" Hermione asked, switching topics mid-sentence.

"What?" Harry asked confused.

"We're getting takeout for dinner. I wanted to know if you liked Chinese." Hermione explained.

"Oh. No, I've never had it before." Harry admitted.

Hermione sighed before she spoke again.

"Remind me to something about the Dursleys once this bloody war is over." She muttered as she snuggled closer to him.

Harry nodded at her and they spent a little time cuddling before Emma called them downstairs for dinner, with Dan eyeing them suspiciously. However, he refrained from commenting after a warning glance from his wife. They enjoyed a filling dinner with some noodles, soups and other assorted foods before retiring to bed. Hermione gave Harry a chaste kiss, before heading up to her bedroom.

'_I'm already missing having you in bed with me. You're a really comfortable pillow, you know?' _Hermione sent over the bond a little while later.

'_Thank you, I'm flattered. But I think it's time we slept, don't you? We have to get to the Ministry early tomorrow.' _Harry said, grinning to himself as he tried to shut out Sirius' snores.

'_I know, I know. Oh well. Good night love. See you tomorrow.'_ Hermione sent back, sighing, before she drifted off to sleep.

Next thing she knew she was being woken up by her mother. She sleepily finished her morning routine and headed downstairs, peeking into Harry's bedroom on the way. She saw Sirius spread out over his bed but no Harry, which surprised her as Harry wasn't usually one to wake up too early. She continued downstairs and sat at the kitchen table which was usually used for breakfast. Much to her surprise her mother was sitting opposite her.

"Mum? What are you doing sitting here? Who's cooking?" Hermione asked confused, as her mother usually made her breakfast.

"Still not fully awake I see. And Harry is cooking. Turn around." Emma said, smirking at her daughter. She never had been very coherent for at least half an hour after she woke up.

"Harry? You can cook?" Hermione asked after she turned around to see her boyfriend at the stove.

"Well Aunt Petunia made sure I could. And I just wanted to do something to thank your parents for letting me stay." Harry explained as he set down plates with bacon and eggs on them.

"Don't worry Hermione, it's all behind me now." Harry said soothingly as he saw her scowling face.

"Yes well, you forgave them but that doesn't mean I will." Hermione said. Harry nodded his acquiescence. He sat down with the Granger women to have his breakfast.

"Harry this is great!" Emma exclaimed after a few moments, while Hermione nodded her agreement.

"Thank you. I don't really have much practice anymore. Its actually more of a hobby now." Harry said grinning sheepishly.

A few minutes later Dan entered the kitchen and reluctantly admitted he enjoyed the food after he had had it, still unwilling to give too much ground to Harry. Sirius and Tonks also came down for breakfast, although Sirius had to be dragged down forcibly. After another round of praise for Harry's cooking, followed by a kiss from Hermione for him, much to the consternation of her father, the ones who were going to the Ministry headed upstairs to get ready for the trials later in the day.

"We'll be there for most of the day; there are about a dozen Death Eaters being tried, plus our ex-Headmistress and Sirius." Hermione said to her parents when she came back down. Both parents were taken aback at the ex-Headmistress comment.

"Ex-Headmistress? And I thought Sirius was innocent? And aren't these Death Eaters the followers of that Voldemort guy?" Emma asked, not sure what trouble her daughter had been getting into if she was required to be there for trials of such people.

"I'll tell you everything you want to know once we come back all right?" Hermione pleaded as she saw Sirius and Harry come down, closely followed by Tonks.

"Alright. But we want a full report on what you've been up to soon young lady." Dan said sternly, as Hermione nodded.

'_That conversation isn't going to go well.' _Hermione sighed mentally.

'_Don't worry love. I'll help however I can.' _Harry reassured her as he squeezed her hand gently.

'_Thanks Harry.' _She sent back as she turned her attention to Tonks and Sirius, who was disguised as Padfoot.

"Ready you two? We're going to be using a portkey, since the house is under Anti-Apparition wards." Tonks said as she held up a length of rope. Harry and Hermione nodded and grabbed hold of it, with Sirius placing a paw on it.

Hermione waved to her parents as Tonks tapped her wand on the rope, activating the Portkey. After a short but dizzying trip, they landed in a well furnished office. All of them lost their balance, with Harry and Hermione ending up in a suggestive position. Sirius gave a bark, and Hermione had no doubt that he would have made an inappropriate comment had he been human.

They straightened themselves and stood up, just as the door to the office opened, admitting Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE.

"Oh good, you all are here. Hello Padfoot." She said, she petted Padfoot, who happily got on his rear legs and licked at her face.

"Not now, Sirius. Get down." Amelia admonished him as the rest hid their grins.

"Alright, I called you here so that we can go over what you are going to say and do during the trials. There isn't much, just a few questions to be asked. The rest of your little group is coming too, but you showed up earlier than I expected." Amelia said as she took her seat behind the table.

"Madam Bones, I was wondering if I could also provide memories of Voldemort's resurrection. Hermione has been researching, and it is apparently acceptable proof after it has been verified that the memories are not tampered. There were a few Death Eaters present there that weren't at the Ministry." Harry said as he sat down.

Amelia looked pensive for a moment before she shook her head.

"I would advise against it. If their identities are revealed before we arrest them, there's a chance they will go to ground. What I want you to do is, give me the memories. I'll bring them in, and then we can submit the memories at their trials." Amelia said.

Hermione nodded along with Harry and Tonks before she scrunched her forehead in thought.

"Madam Bones, I have a question. You will release the names to your Aurors right?" Hermione asked. Amelia only nodded in reply, wondering what the girl was getting at.

"How sure are you that none of the Aurors are sympathizers or Death Eaters themselves and that they wouldn't warn one of the targets?" Hermione asked. Amelia's eyes widened at the implications. However, she caught herself before she snapped at Hermione.

"That, Ms. Granger, is a good question." Amelia said slowly. Tonks looked surprised that Amelia hadn't immediately defended her Aurors.

"Boss? What are you talking about?" Tonks asked hesitantly. Amelia shook her head.

"Anyway, the corruption at the ministry can be discussed at a later date." Amelia said after a minute's silence.

"Now, Mr. Potter, do you know how to extract a memory?" Amelia asked. Harry shook his head to indicate no.

"Auror Tonks? Help him please." Amelia said as she retrieved a small basin Harry recognized to be a Pensieve from under her desk. Tonks nodded and moved over to Harry's side, drawing her wand. Hermione moved closer too, interested in the knowledge.

"Think about what you want to show, Harry. Focus on your memories. Done? Give me a second then." Tonks said as she placed the tip of the wand at Harry's temple, and pulled it away, drawing a thin silvery substance with it that she dropped in Amelia's Pensieve.

"I'll tell you all about it later." Tonks said to Hermione, noticing her interest in the process. Hermione just blushed slightly at being so easily read and nodded, as Amelia watched the memories of the night of Voldemort's resurrection. She surfaced several minutes later, looking furious.

"You told Fudge about this? And he still refused to believe you despite the fact that you had a supposedly dead Death Eater spouting the very same things you were saying?" she asked Harry, who only nodded. He had included the events after the Third Task precisely because they incriminated Fudge. Amelia cursed for a few moments before she regained her composure.

"We could have had a year to prepare but he just had to do this, didn't he?" Amelia said in a frustrated tone. "Never mind. We can use the last part of the memory when I bring up the issue."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other before nodding.

"Madam Bones, we have one more memory for you." Harry said as he nodded towards Tonks. She moved forward and extracted another memory that she dropped in the Pensieve.

"It's the night Sirius was almost captured at Hogwarts." Hermione explained as Amelia took a look at it, before she emerged, shaking her head.

"Thanks for this. I already had proof of the fact that he was accepting bribes and handing out 'favours', which should be enough to see him kicked out. Miscarriage of justice is just one more thing." Amelia said.

At that moment, the door opened and Harry and Hermione turned around in their seat to see their other best friend Ron Weasley and his sister Ginny enter after knocking. They were accompanied by their father Arthur Weasley, the balding patriarch of the Weasley family, who was called over by Amelia immediately.

"Hey guys! Is anyone else here already?" Ron asked as he moved towards them, with Ginny.

"No Ron. Neville and Luna are should be showing up soon." Harry said as the three newcomers took seats that Amelia conjured, with Harry and Hermione moving away from the desk with Ron and Ginny to give Amelia and Arthur privacy.

The four teens settled down to wait for the remaining two members of their team as Arthur and Amelia conversed in low voices. Tonks sat back with Sirius at her feet, keeping watch.

A few minutes later, Neville entered the office with his grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, a rather stern looking old woman that could have given McGonagall a run for her money. Neville took another conjured seat with his friends as his grandmother joined Amelia and Arthur.

The door opened again Luna Lovegood drifted in, the last member of their little group, followed by a man dressed in a very eccentric fashion, who could only have been her father. Both he and Luna moved over to the teens as he introduced himself.

"Xenophilius Lovegood, Editor for the Quibbler, as I'm sure Luna told you. I'm actually here as a member of the press besides escorting Luna." The man said as he shook hands with everyone.

"I must thank you, Mr. Potter, for the interview you gave to the Quibbler. Boosted sales quite a bit I must say." He said beaming at an embarrassed Harry.

Any further comments were delayed by Amelia clearing her throat.

"Now that you all are here, we can start going over your testimonials and the questions you might be asked. Also, if you have any memories you want to submit, you are welcome to do that after I have ensured they are true memories. Let's start with Mr. Potter shall we?" Amelia said as she motioned for the six teens to move closer to her desk.

They spent the next couple of hours till they were needed in court going over all the questions they could be asked and the memories were added to the evidence. When it was time to head to the courtroom, Amelia's secretary came to notify them.

"Send in Shacklebolt." Amelia said. The tall Auror arrived in her office a moment later.

"Director? You called?" he asked.

"Yes Shack, take him with you and keep a watch on him till we need him." Amelia said, indicating Padfoot, who got up from his place at Harry's side and headed towards the Auror. Kingsley nodded in understanding and moved out of the office with Sirius at his heels.

"Where are the trials anyway?" Hermione asked as the whole group followed them out of the office.

"Courtroom 10. The same one Mr. Potter's trial was held in." Amelia said. Harry winced as he remembered the panic he had been in the last time he was there. Hermione gave him an understanding smile as she too had been in much the same condition due to her worry for him.

They arrived at the courtroom a while later and split up. Amelia headed towards the area where the Wizengamot members would be sitting, Harry and his friends went to the small area that was designated for the witnesses. The parents and guardians of the teens headed to the public seating, with Tonks following behind the six teens.

They waited a while more as the courtroom started to fill. About a half an hour later the whole Wizengamot was assembled. Dumbledore started the trials in his role as Chief Warlock.

"Criminal Hearing against members of the known terrorist organization headed by the Dark Wizard known as Lord Voldemort. Charges are several counts of first degree offenses, attempted murder of Heirs of several Noble Houses, etc. Interrogator: Amelia Bones, Head of the Department Magical Law Enforcement. Prosecutor: Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. The accused refused a Ministry lawyer and will be defending themselves. Aurors, bring in the first prisoner, Lucius Malfoy." Dumbledore said in a loud voice.

The door to the courtroom opened and two Aurors led an unkempt Lucius Malfoy shacked in chains into the courtroom. He was having a hard time moving on his own, given that his entire right side was covered in bandages. Hermione looked over to the public section and saw Moody giving Malfoy a feral grin.

"Looks like Moody really worked him over." Ron whispered from behind her, and Hermione found herself nodding in agreement. The Aurors dumped Malfoy Sr. into the chair in the center of the floor and the chains promptly secured him, not that it made a difference since he was in no condition to hold a wand, let alone run. Draco, who was with his mother, kept shooting the six angry looks which were completely ignored.

"The accused is Lucius Malfoy, Head of House Malfoy. You have been charged with a number of first degree offenses, use of Unforgivables on a fellow human being, breaking and entering into the Ministry's Department of Mysteries, damage to Ministry Property. How do you plead?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not guilty." Malfoy rasped. "I was under the Imperius Curse."

"Let the records show that the accused had denied any hand in his crimes. Madam Bones, present your evidence." Dumbledore said, nodding towards Amelia. She cleared her throat and stood up flicking her wand. One roll of parchment appeared in front of each of the Wizengamot members.

"Please open the parchment and read through it. It is a sworn statement by Department of Mysteries. It defines the nature of the Dark Mark, which has been revealed by a study carried out. The ritual for obtaining the Dark Mark requires a human sacrifice. It is clear that the Dark Mark has to be taken by the subject willingly, or the mark will not take hold. So you see, the fact that the accused claims to be under the Imperius Curse is rubbish. He wouldn't have had a Dark Mark if he really was under it." Amelia said, smirking at the rapidly paling Lucius Malfoy. He had hoped to get away like last time, and had spent quite a bit of fortune ensuring votes for his innocence.

Now Amelia Bones had blown his plan to bits. No sane person would vote for his innocence with such clear evidence to the contrary. Add in the fact that Harry Potter had provided memories of the battle at the Ministry a few weeks ago that she was now displaying to the whole chamber, and Azkaban was guaranteed for him. His only hope was to avoid a death sentence by the Dementor's Kiss or the Veil. His master would spring him out anyway.

There was an uproar in the chamber when the memories were displayed in the projection-capable Pensieve Amelia had gotten from the DoM. Several people were seeing the resurrected Voldemort for the first time, and seeing him brought to a standstill by six students was awe-inspiring. Once the memories of the whole incident were finished, Amelia spoke up again.

"These memories were provided by my witnesses, and they have each sworn an oath and been questioned under Veritaserum as to their validity. They are present here, if anyone has questions pertaining to the trial. Also Priori Incantatem has proved the use of Unforgivables by Lucius Malfoy. You also have the report pertaining to the interrogation carried out by my department in front of you. That is all." Amelia said as she sat down.

The Wizengamot members read through the parchments that appeared in front of them, their faces showing disgust at the sheer range and number of crimes the man had committed, and wisely decided to refrain from questioning any of the six teens. It wouldn't achieve anything, and they would only look like fools. Dumbledore again got everyone's attention as he finished reading the report.

"Very well. You have all the evidence presented to you. Now, are there any questions for the accused?" Dumbledore asked looking around. No one raised their voice.

"Time for the verdict. I propose life in Azkaban prison." Dumbledore said, looking to see if anyone challenged it, before continuing.

"Those in favor of clearing the accused of charges?" Dumbledore asked. Not one person raised their hand, knowing that it would be tantamount to declaring themselves as supporters of the Dark Lord.

"Those in favor of conviction?" Dumbledore asked. The whole Wizengamot raised their hands as one. Harry nodded to himself.

'_I can live with that.'_ Hermione said over their bond.

'_I only hope the rest of them get similar sentences. And I hope Dolohov gets kissed.' _Harry sent back, remembering the few minutes when he had almost lost Hermione. She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb, clasping it tightly.

They sat back as Lucius was led out. Dumbledore spoke up again.

"Bring in the next prisoner, Bellatrix Lestrange."

* * *

A/N: Well there's Chapter Eight. I had a bit of trouble writing Hermione's parents, but decided to base them on my girlfriend's in the end. Her father still hates me for dating his daughter, despite the fact that he has known me for a decade now. Anyway, the trials were stretching longer than I thought, so I split up the chapter. Next part will be up by tomorrow night latest, and Sirius will be free!


	9. Chapter 9

**Ministry Six**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belongs to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters , places, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_"Bring in the next prisoner, Bellatrix Lestrange."_

Hermione felt Neville stiffen beside her and looked at him, only to see him being comforted by Ginny.

'_This was always going to be hard for him.' _Harry said. Like him, Neville had lost his parents in the war due to Bellatrix Lestrange torturing them into insanity.

'_I know. At least he gets justice for what she did.' _Hermione said, as she turned back to the doors. Ginny could handle Neville well.

The doors swung open again and Bellatrix was led in. If Lucius had been in bad shape, Bellatrix was worse, with bandages covering half her body, and she using a crutch since one of her legs was missing. What little was visible of the right side of her face looked singed off, and it appeared that the Healers hadn't been able to fix her.

Tonks leaned over between Harry and Hermione and spoke just loud enough for those in their group to hear.

"Mad-Eye's work, he's got a vendetta against her. She was the one that cost him his leg. It also counted against her that she tortured his former protégé, Alice Longbottom, into insanity. Dunno what spell he used on her and Uncle Lucy, but it burned through their shields, skin and muscle, till he released it. Healers can't do a thing to the wounds, they resist all attempt at healing." Tonks whispered as Bellatrix was secured in the chair and a silencing charm applied to cut off her ranting.

Neville looked surprised at this bit of information.

"Mum was Professor Moody's student?" Neville asked. Tonks nodded.

"One of the best. Ask him about her later." Tonks said to Neville.

"We should get him to teach us that. If it can cut through shields, it could be useful. And it affects multiple opponents at the same time. It will be useful if outnumbered." Hermione mused. Ron sniggered behind her.

"Even here you're thinking of studies." Ron said.

Hermione turned to snap at him but Harry stopped her.

"Bite his head off later. For now, keep it in. And Ron, she's right. It could be useful. Don't antagonize her for no reason." Harry said, looking between his best friends. Hermione reluctantly nodded and Ron looked properly chastised.

"Sorry Hermione. Didn't mean to be insulting." Ron muttered. Hermione sighed and nodded before turning to the front and focusing on Dumbledore, who was reading Bellatrix's list of crimes.

"We also have an escape from Azkaban Prison in addition to the other charges, which will count later. Madam Bones, please present any new evidence that has been provided." Dumbledore said.

Amelia nodded to an aide who again showed the memories that had been submitted. Most of it had been seen before so it was over pretty quickly. Amelia then flicked her wand and rolls of parchment appeared in front of the Wizengamot members.

"Those are the interrogation reports. Also included is the report of how she managed an escape from Azkaban." Amelia said.

"But this is impossible Madam Bones! Dementors are firmly under Ministry control!" an old man protested.

"They were. Apparently, they decided that Voldemort was a better master." Amelia said, ignoring the shrieks and shivers going through the crowd. "I have told the Minister, and so has the Chief Warlock, that they could not be trusted, but he refused to listen to our advice."

"But what are you doing about it now?" Another man asked.

"For now, I have extra Aurors guarding the prison, but my limited budget, again because of the Minister, prevents me from keeping more than a dozen extra Aurors at Azkaban at any one time." Amelia said, ignoring the purpling Cornelius Fudge.

"We can discuss the matter of Azkaban later. For now, we have a trial to conduct. Should we get on with it?" Dumbledore interrupted, wanting to get back to the task at hand. After getting nods of affirmation, he turned to Amelia and nodded.

"Apart from the information she gave under Veritaserum, there is also the fact that we have confirmed the use of Unforgivables by the use of Priori Incantatem. That is all I have. You can ask questions to verify the information you have been given if you like." Amelia said.

After no one moved to ask a question, Dumbledore started speaking again.

"If there is nothing else, we can move forward to the verdict. Before you vote, Madam Bones has something to say." Dumbledore said as he inclined his head towards Amelia.

"Now, Bellatrix here is a special case. As you all know, no one had ever broken out of Azkaban till about three years ago, when Sirius Black did the impossible. At the time, Minister Fudge had a law passed saying that anyone who escaped Azkaban Prison, if caught and convicted again, would face the death penalty by Dementor's Kiss. Therefore, no matter what her crimes after she escaped, she cannot be sentenced to anything less than death." Amelia said smugly.

The death penalty was very rarely used and only in exceptionally horrible cases, and despite the fact that Amelia wanted every last one of them dead, she could not manage that with people like Lucius Malfoy. She was sure that he had tried to buy off people the Wizengamot, and while they wouldn't argue against life in Azkaban, they would definitely oppose the death sentence.

However, Fudge had given her a way around it when he introduced the law for the purpose of getting Sirius kissed. She could use it to sentence Bellatrix and any other escaped Death Eater to a Dementor's Kiss, and she figured she should take what she got. The risk was that this law was written specifically aimed at Sirius, and she would have a hard job ahead of her convincing the Wizengamot that it could not apply him.

Harry watched as the Wizengamot discussed this new piece of information among itself. It had been Amelia's idea, and he knew that she would not get Sirius in trouble if she could help it, but he was still nervous since it could backfire horribly.

'_Don't worry. She explained why they can't use that law on Sirius, despite the fact that it was written for him. He'll be okay.' _Hermione sent over the bond, sensing Harry's nervousness. Harry smiled gratefully at her and turned back to the Wizengamot as Augusta Longbottom stood up.

"I believe this is law is undisputable, since we passed it ourselves. Bellatrix Lestrange will be sentenced to death by the Dementor's Kiss. All that remains is the vote for her conviction." she said, with no little satisfaction. The woman had almost destroyed her family after all.

Dumbledore nodded and cleared his throat.

"Those in favor of clearing the accused of charges?" Dumbledore asked. Just like Lucius Malfoy, no one raised a hand.

"Those in favor of conviction?" Dumbledore asked. As one the Wizengamot raised their hands. Bellatrix meanwhile was ranting and raving at everyone, but there was no sound since she was still silenced. Everyone knew they wouldn't get a straight answer from her and no one had wanted to listen to the madwoman.

"Very well. I hereby sentence Bellatrix Lestrange to death by the Dementor's Kiss. Take her away." Dumbledore commanded.

Hermione felt Neville shaking beside her and saw that Ginny once more had her arms around him. Tears were dripping down his cheeks but he still had a smile on his face. She smiled at Ginny, who nodded, and then turned back to Harry.

'_He had it as bad as me Hermione. Now he got justice for what was done to him.'_ Harry said mentally.

Hermione hugged him and buried her face in his chest.

'_Don't worry Harry. We'll get Voldemort too. Then you too can be free from this whole mess.' _Hermione said. Harry mutely nodded and turned back to the front, still keeping an arm around Hermione.

The trials carried on, with a break after the eighth trial for lunch, after which the Wizengamot reconvened and continued with the task. Harry was actually getting a little bored as most of the Death Eaters, although high ranking, were inconsequential, and the trials he was actually interested in had either finished already or were still a while away.

The remaining Death Eaters were tried on similar lines as Lucius and Bellatrix. If this was the first time they had been successfully convicted, regardless of their past, they were sentenced to Azkaban for varying periods depending on their crimes. Most of them, however, were given life sentences since the list of their crimes was much like Lucius Malfoy's. If they were one of those who had broken out of Azkaban before, they were directly sentenced to death irrespective of the nature of the crimes they had committed, both before and after their incarceration in the prison.

Harry watched in satisfaction as the last Death Eater currently in captivity, Antonin Dolohov, was sentenced to death. The man had almost killed Hermione, something Harry would never forgive or forget. He pulled Hermione as close as he could in the seats without having her on his lap, and she gave him an understanding smile.

'_Alright Harry. This is it. Madam Bones will be bringing Sirius up soon.' _Hermione said, and then spent a few moments calming down her suddenly nervous boyfriend. She knew he was really close to Sirius and this was highly important to him, even more than most of the Death Eater trials.

Hermione watched as Amelia stood up, and cleared her throat to get the attention of the Wizengamot.

"Members of the Wizengamot, if you would kindly grant me a few minutes to speak, we still have a few more things to clear up." Amelia said, then waited while all the members settled down.

"Thank you. Now, during the interrogation of the Death Eaters I had in captivity, my Aurors found a… How do I say this? A problem if you will. The problem is Peter Pettigrew, Order of Merlin, Third Class. If you recall, the award was conferred on him posthumously after he met his death trying to apprehend Sirius Black. You see, I found that, despite being dead, several Death Eaters seem to believe that it was him that played an important role in the Dark Lord's return. Now, if it had been only one of them, I would have called them delusional. But the thing was, all of them claimed the same thing, under Veritaserum too." Amelia said.

"Get to the point Bones." One person snapped.

"My point is that if so many people claim he helped bring the Dark Lord back, if so many people claim he is alive, then he could alive. I even have their memories of the times they have seen him recently. And if Pettigrew is alive, who did Sirius Black kill, if he really did kill anyone. So I went to check the records of his trial. Imagine my surprise when I found no records whatsoever. The only conclusion is that Sirius Black was sent to Azkaban without a trial; probably for crimes he never committed if Pettigrew being alive is any indication." Amelia said, now glaring at Fudge who was paling rapidly.

"And what proof do you have of Black's innocence?" the same person from before asked.

"Veritaserum testimony, a sworn oath and true memories of the incident, which show that it was Pettigrew who killed those muggles. Here you go." Amelia said before she nodded to her aide, who started the memory of the incident that Sirius had submitted. It very clearly showed Peter casting the Blasting hex before transforming into a rat and escaping down a sewer.

"How did he-" someone began.

"Animagus. Here are the transcripts of his interrogation." Amelia said, flicking her wand.

"Amelia, how did you get this?" an elderly witch asked.

"Sirius Black turned himself in to me when he found out that I was actively investigating his case. I have him in custody and he willingly gave a Wizard's Oath as to his innocence in the murders of Pettigrew and the muggles. You should also note that he never was the Potter's Secret Keeper, Pettigrew was, and neither is he a Death Eater, since he doesn't have the Dark Mark." Amelia said.

As the Wizengamot was reading the report, Amelia nodded to an Auror who headed out before returning with Kingsley who was leading Sirius. Unlike the Death Eaters before him, Sirius was walking unassisted and free from any bindings. This caused an immediate panic that only stopped when Dumbledore fired a Noisemaker hex.

"Calm yourself." Dumbledore boomed, getting an instant silence. Sirius sat down in the chair after waving to Harry, and the chains wrapped around him.

"Now, as I was saying before, Sirius was an innocent man who was sent to Azkaban without a trial, and he is innocent until proven guilty. The proof has been provided to you, and he is ready to answer questions under Veritaserum if necessary." Amelia said before she sat down.

"If he was innocent, why did he say he killed the Potters?" someone asked.

Amelia nodded to Kingsley, who stepped forward and placed three drops of Veritaserum on Sirius' tongue before Amelia repeated the question to him.

"Because I was the one who suggested Peter as the Secret Keeper. Hence, I effectively compromised their lives." Sirius said, with a vacant look on his face indicating that the potion had taken hold.

"Why did he never get a trial?" another person asked.

"His words were taken as a confession at the time and a trial was deemed unnecessary." Dumbledore answered before Sirius said anything, sending him an apologetic look.

"One last thing, how did you escape Azkaban?" an elderly wizard asked. Amelia again repeated the question to Sirius.

"I am a dog Animagus. Dementors can't sense me well in that state and it was easy to slip through the doors when the guards weren't looking." Sirius said.

"You could have done that years ago. Why did you escape after that much time?" the same man spoke up, and Amelia repeated his question.

"I believed for years that Harry had been safe. But then Fudge handed me a newspaper that made me realize that Peter was alive and at Hogwarts near Harry. He was a threat to my godson's life and so I escaped to try and protect Harry." Sirius said. This was quiet enough proof for most people.

Dumbledore spoke up after a few moments of silence.

"Are there any other questions?" He asked, looking around.

Receiving no response, he continued speaking.

"Then we shall move to the verdict. I propose twenty years in Azkaban if found guilty. All in favor?" Dumbledore asked.

"Wait just a minute! He broke out of Azkaban! Shouldn't it be Dementor's Kiss?" a particularly smarmy looking wizard, who Harry noted bore a resemblance to Pansy Parkinson, asked heatedly.

Amelia immediately stood up, knowing this was crucial, since the verdict was still not out.

"No it shouldn't. Do I need remind you that he was never convicted in the first place? He couldn't 'break out' because he wasn't meant to be there in the first place. And if you read the law carefully, you will see that it only applies to second time convicts, and Sirius Black is under trial for the first time." Amelia said. The wizard reluctantly sat down. No one raised another problem after that, and Amelia internally heaved a sigh of relief. Dumbledore spoke after a moment's silence.

"Well then, those in favor of clearing the accused of charges?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry's breath caught as he tried to frantically count the number of hands in the air.

'_It's more than three quarters! Harry, Sirius is safe!' _Hermione almost screamed over the bond as she squeezed him in a tight hug. Harry let out a sigh of relief as he watched the scene play out.

"Those is favor of conviction?" Dumbledore asked, although it was clear that it was only a formality. A few hands rose, along with Fudge, but it was of no use.

"Alright then. Sirius Black is hereby exonerated and all charges against him are declared cleared." Dumbledore said.

Harry was elated. His godfather was finally free! The chains on the chair finally fell away and Sirius stood up, bowing slightly to Dumbledore and Amelia, before walking out of the door. He entered the section where Harry and the others were seated. He immediately rushed over to Harry, who released his tight hold on Hermione and grabbed his godfather in a hug.

"You do know what this means, right pup? You can officially come and live with me now!" Sirius said excitedly, before turning to Hermione who was gazing at Harry fondly. "Of course, you're more than welcome to come by and stay over any time you wish.

Harry and Hermione both nodded happily and Harry returned to Hermione's side as Sirius settled beside Tonks, accepting the congratulations from everyone. They focused back on the Wizengamot as Amelia stood up again.

"I don't get why she still insists on wearing that damn glamour still." Sirius whispered.

"Quiet Sirius. And if she didn't, some stuck up Aurors won't listen to her that easily. No offense, Tonks." Hermione said.

"None taken, Hermione. And she's right Sirius. Although I think she's planning to drop it soon." Tonks mused. Sirius just shrugged and turned back to Amelia.

"Now I have one last person to put on trial today. The reasons I have not informed most of you of this one and the trial of Sirius Black beforehand is that both were high-profile trials, and I didn't want any interference while I carried out my interrogation." Amelia said.

"The next person to be put on trial is Dolores Umbridge, former Senior Undersecretary to the Minister." Amelia said and nodded towards her Aurors.

"It had been reported to me that Dolores Umbridge, during her stay at Hogwarts, was in the possession of several blood quills. Not only that, she also used them on several students." Amelia said. The entire chamber was quiet as most of the people were shocked speechless at this bit of information. The possession of blood quills alone was a criminal offense as they were a highly restricted artifact. But then to go ahead and use them on children was almost unforgivable.

Umbridge was led into the chamber in chains, and immediately subjected to the harsh glare from every direction. The moment she saw who was charge of presenting the evidence and proving her guilt to the Wizengamot, she knew she had absolutely no hope of going free. Indeed, she knew that if she was given her way, Amelia Bones would have seen her subjected to a Dementors's Kiss already. Umbridge was deposited in the chair, with the chains instantly securing her. Dumbledore gained the attention of the court and waited for silence before speaking.

"The accused is Dolores Umbridge. You are charged with the possession of several Blood Quills, which are Class Three restricted artifacts, the repeated use of said artifacts on students within your care with the intention to cause them harm, the illegal use of Veritaserum on minors, attempted use of an Unforgivable, and the illegal use of Ministry Property, and I mean a couple of Dementors when I say Ministry property, for the attempted murder of Harry Potter. How do you plead?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not guilty." Umbridge said angrily. "I was perfectly licensed to carry Blood Quills, I am the Senior Undersecretary! And as for using them on the brats, I did no such thing. I did not use any Unforgivables and certainly did not set Dementors on that brat Potter."

Dumbledore just nodded serenely, ignoring her anger, as one of the Aurors sent a Silencing Charm at her to cut off her rant.

"Let the records show that the accused has denied performing the crimes she was accused of. Madam Bones, present you evidence." Dumbledore said.

Amelia stood up and flicked her wand, causing several rolls of parchment to appear in front of all the members, as she instructed her aide to again bring the Pensieve to the front.

"Before you is the report of the interrogation that was conducted, with Umbridge under Veritaserum. Although she is now denying her crimes, she had already admitted to committing them as you can see. You also have eyewitness accounts from several Hogwarts students of Umbridge subjecting them to the Blood Quill." Amelia said. There was shock on the faces of the members, as they digested the number of people Umbridge had forced to use the Quill. This was going to cause a huge fallout when the press got the news out to the public.

"I also have true memories from several students that show Umbridge admitting to her attempted murder of Harry Potter, using Veritaserum in the past and also show that she had almost used the Cruciatus Curse on him, which was only prevented by an interruption from Hermione Granger." Amelia said. The Pensieve was activated and played the memories taken from Harry and the rest. Amelia spoke up again in the silence that had fallen once they were over.

"I also add that the 'weapon' mentioned by Ms. Granger is fictional, and that she was only playing on Umbridge's insecurities and paranoia in order to save her friend from being tortured." Amelia said.

Hermione had to stifle a laugh at this, and buried her face in Harry's shoulder, so no-one saw the amusement on her face. Ron was in a similar state, with Harry barely managing to keep a straight face, much to the confusion the rest of people with them. Only the three of them, Dumbledore and Hagrid knew about the presence of Grawp, and that was how they were keeping it for now. Harry shook his head and mouthed 'later' which was enough for the rest.

Hermione composed herself and turned her attention to Umbridge who was almost purple with rage, but thankfully, she knew nothing about Grawp as she had been taken away before she saw him. Hermione smirked at her, and was rewarded by Umbridge turning a shade darker. As far as she was concerned, Umbridge was deserving of everything happening to her.

Amelia sat down and watched the members of the Wizengamot finished reading the various rolls of parchment. She was almost sure that she could get Umbridge sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss, what with the way most of them were glaring at her with loathing. Many of them had children or grandchildren or relatives attending Hogwarts, like her Susan, and she had intended to play on that.

Dumbledore spoke again after a few seconds of silence, and his tone was uncharacteristically harsh. He had known that Umbridge was not exactly benign during her detentions, but he had had no idea that it was this bad. He again felt the pangs of regret for his behavior the previous year, but what the woman had done was absolutely inhuman. He only wished he could have her kissed by a Dementor, but was unsure of the support he would receive.

"We have read the testimonials, seen the proofs and memories. I propose death by Dementor's Kiss if found guilty. Are there any that oppose that?" He asked, watching Umbridge's face drain of all color.

"Dumbledore! Surely her actions don't warrant such serious-" Fudge began nervously, but was cut off by a raging Augusta Longbottom.

"No! The punishment is perfect. She tortured our children for months! Children who were supposed to be under her care! And if I find even one shred of evidence that you were in any way informed about this, I will personally have your head mounted on a pike. Do you understand, Minister?" she said, sarcasm dripping off the last word, though her tone left the now sweating man in no doubt that she would carry out the threat. A simple glance proved that most people around would happily help her. He immediately mentally revised all his plans. Dumbledore spoke up once again, taking the attention off Fudge.

"Those in favor of clearing the accused of charges?" Dumbledore asked. Fudge and a few of his die-hard supporters raised their hands, but there weren't more than half a dozen of them.

"Those in favor of conviction?" Dumbledore asked again. This time the rest of the Wizengamot raised their hands.

"Very well. I hereby sentence Dolores Umbridge to death by the Dementor's Kiss." Dumbledore said, and Umbridge was led out of the door, still silenced, since she was obviously trying to scream at the top of her voice.

Amelia nodded to herself. That was done, now she could begin weeding the rest of the corruption in the Ministry, starting from the top.

Hermione relaxed into Harry's arms, blocking the cheers coming from the most of the rest of their group. She wouldn't usually wish such a horrible fate on anyone, but Umbridge deserved what she got.

'_You're right Hermione. She deserved it. Who knows what she could have done if she was left a chance to come back. She ruined a lot of lives just this year' _Harry said, as he comforted her.

"_I know Harry. It's not that I'm upset over this. I just wished that it didn't have to come to this. If only Fudge had listened to you, the condition wouldn't have been so dire.' _Hermione thought back. Harry nodded.

'_Speaking of Fudge, he's up to something.' _Harry sent, as he pointed towards the Minister, who had just shakily gotten to his feet.

The attention of everyone focused on him as Fudge took a deep steadying breath before speaking.

"If I can have your attention, I have something to announce. Today I have realized exactly how much my inaction and refusal to see truth has cost our world. As such, I have come to realize that I am not the right person to lead Magical Britain in these turbulent times. I hereby announce that I am resigning from the post of Minister for Magic." Fudge said, his voice shaking a bit, and sat down. He knew that it was a matter of time before he was forcibly removed, and resigning before his name was dragged through the mud was a better option. Maybe they would just ignore his indiscretions since they would have to find and appoint a new Minister and then prepare for war, and he could have a chance later when all was said and done.

Amelia was stunned at Fudge's actions for a few minutes, but immediately caught on to his intentions. She'd be damned if she would let him go free though, but there was the little matter of finding a new Minister. That would have to wait for tomorrow though, she thought, and apparently Dumbledore thought so too.

"If we could move this to a private location, Cornelius? Amelia, collect the other department heads and come to my office. Meanwhile, today's session of the Wizengamot is hereby declared closed. We shall reconvene tomorrow." Dumbledore said. With that, he headed out of the doors, with Fudge trailing behind nervously, and the rest of the Wizengamot followed.

"Well that was unexpected." Sirius said. Hermione shook her head.

"Actually, no. It's not. This way, he gets to save a little face and unless Madam Bones gets him convicted, he can revive his career later." Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Ah sod it all. Who cares about it right now anyway?" Sirius said as he stood and stretched his legs. "I say we forget about it, let the Ministry handle it all, and just focus on enjoying our short vacations."

"You're just saying that because you get to go to topless beaches in France." Tonks said. Ron moaned and dropped his head in hands.

"And I have to stay at the Burrow! Harry, you're real lucky mate. Maybe you'll see some Veela…" Ron trailed off at Hermione's and Luna's glares.

"He's not going to be staring at girls other than Hermione, are you Harry? Face it, you're whipped." Ginny said smirking.

"He's loyal to me, not whipped. Right Harry?" Hermione said indignantly to Ginny, gripping Harry's arm tighter. Harry nodded solemnly, ignoring Sirius who was wielding an imaginary whip behind Hermione's back, but Hermione caught it over their bond.

"Do that again, and you'll see what a real one feels like Sirius." Hermione said as she pulled Harry towards the exit.

Sirius immediately stopped and his face wore an expression of horror and betrayal as he looked to Harry, who just grinned. The rest of the group burst out laughing at him and followed the couple through the doors.

* * *

A/N: Whew, that was a little long and hard to write. Anyway, Umbridge is finished, and so is Bellatrix! Not to mention, Padfoot goes free! Fudge steps down but don't worry, Amelia is still not satisfied with that. And Ginny and Neville finally start to come closer. Next chapter is Hermione's conversation with her parents, aided by Harry, but it will have to wait for a while since I'm going to be out of town for a while. To those who pointed out the Neville speaking in third person error, thanks!


	10. Chapter 10

**Ministry Six**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belongs to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters , places, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Hermione Granger sighed as she slumped against the head of her bed. Her boyfriend and best friend, Harry Potter, sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Hermione just give them a little time, alright?" Harry said as he squeezed her lightly. Hermione nodded mutely as she rested her head on Harry's shoulder.

"I know Harry. It's just that… Well, you know how they looked just then. I had never lied to them about anything important before. You saw how disappointed they looked." Hermione said as she sniffled a bit. Harry sighed as he held her tighter.

They had returned to Hermione's home after the trial with Sirius to an empty house. This was especially welcome for Hermione as she had wanted to figure out how she was going to tell her parents about the ugly side of the magical world. Sirius had left for the Headquarters after deciding to give Hermione and Harry some privacy for the upcoming discussion.

It turned out that Hermione had skimmed over most of the dangerous happenings that she had been involved in or knew about at Hogwarts when she told her parents about her time at the castle in her letters or in person. Her parents knew about them, of course, but didn't know exactly how serious it was.

This had led to really long discussion when the elder Grangers had returned. Hermione had come clean and told her parents everything.

Emma then decided that they would think over everything they had been told before continuing their discussion. Hermione and Harry had then retired to her bedroom, where they were currently sitting.

"Look Hermione, we did the right thing by telling them. They have a right to know about this, love. And no matter what, they are your parents, and they love you just as much as before." Harry said as Hermione cuddled into his side. The brunette nodded and sighed, before turning her head towards him and kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Thanks Harry." Hermione said quietly as she pulled away. Harry smiled at her and got off the bed.

"No problem. And I'd better get to my own room. I don't think your dad was too happy with me when we told him about the bond." Harry said, making Hermione giggle a little at the memory. Dan had turned a brilliant Weasley red when they had explained about the bond and its consequences, and his mouth had just opened and closed, looking really comical as he tried to find an appropriate enough punishment for Harry for touching his princess. Fortunately for everyone, Emma had managed to restrain him, though he had been glaring at Harry continuously till his wife slapped him on the back of the head.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight." Hermione said as she pecked him on the cheek before he headed off.

Hermione sighed and pulled the covers over herself, falling into a fitful sleep as she thought about the upcoming confrontation with her parents.

Early next morning, Harry awoke from his sleep and headed to Hermione's room after getting ready for the morning and let himself in after knocking. The bed was empty and he heard the shower running.

'_Love should I come back later?' _Harry asked over the bond.

'_Hold on a minute, I'm almost done.' _Hermione sent back and a minute later, she stepped into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her body.

Harry blushed a little at the sight of his girlfriend but he had grown a little accustomed to it over their time together.

"Let me get dressed and we'll go down together alright?" Hermione said. Harry nodded and reclined on the bed as Hermione quickly dressed in a cropped jeans and a simple white t-shirt and headed over to Harry to give him a good-morning kiss.

"Come on." She said as she pulled him off the bed.

They headed down to the kitchen and found the elder Grangers already sitting at the table having their breakfast. Emma gave them a tired smile and gestured toward the chairs across her, which also had two plates with eggs and bacon in front of them

Harry and Hermione sat down, with Hermione grasping Harry's hand for reassurance.

"Alright Hermione, we both have understood what you told us about yesterday, well most of it anyway. Now what we want to know is, why?" Emma said, exchanging a look with Dan.

Hermione looked confused which prompted Emma to speak again.

"Why did you lie to us? Why not tell us the whole truth immediately?" Emma said. Hermione looked downcast before Harry squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Tell me one thing. If you had known I was almost killed by a twelve foot tall troll, then petrified by a basilisk, almost had my soul sucked out by a Dementor, and so on, what would you have done?" Hermione asked, her voice trembling a little.

Dan and Emma again shared a glance and the look on their faces said it all.

"Exactly. You would have removed me from Hogwarts and the magical world. And if an underage witch or wizard, especially a muggleborn, decides to leave forever, then their wands are snapped, their magic is bound and their memories of the magical world is erased." Hermione said, a few tears making their way down her cheeks as she gripped Harry's hand tighter.

"I would have lost something that was a huge part of what I was, and I would have lost all my friends. I would have lost Harry. What else could I have done?" Hermione asked as Harry wrapped his arm around her.

Emma sighed as she took in all of this. Her daughter was a lot like her. She had inherited her love of books and knowledge, her looks, and her intelligence. However, she had also inherited her headstrong nature, which even she had to admit could be a real pain sometimes. Hermione had decided what she was going to do, and no matter what anyone said, she wouldn't change her mind. That wouldn't stop her husband trying though, and she quickly put a hand on his thigh, silently stopping his outburst.

"I understand. I don't have to like it, but I understand. And you said something about a war. What was that all about?" Emma asked. Harry spoke up here, giving Hermione a little time to collect her emotions.

"I believe I can answer that Emma. Like we told you yesterday, it is all based on the prejudices of the purebloods. They believe that anyone not one of them has no right to be able to use magic. According to them people like Hermione have no right to live, since they have been descended from non magical people, who the treat as little more than animals." Harry said. Both Dan and Emma looked enraged at this bit of information. They had known about this, but not that it had spawned a war.

"But that's... That's just..." Dan started, trailing off as he tried to find the words.

"Absolutely insane. It has no basis in fact. But it remains true that a small, albeit powerful, faction of the magical world believes this, and they have started this war in an idiotic bid to reshape magical society as they see fit. The irony of all this, however, is that the idiots are all led by a half blood, Tom Riddle, who is supposed to be beneath their station." Harry admitted. Hermione had shared with him all the information she had found on one Lord Voldemort, and he had been quite shocked at some of the things that came up.

"No one said inbreeding was healthy." Hermione said, a small smile touching her lips at her parents' incredulous looks.

"And why do all of them seem so focused on you?" Dan asked Harry. Harry let out a sigh at this. They hadn't gone into the supposed prophecy last night, but it would have to come out now. Hermione took over this part of the explanation.

"We told you that we went to the Ministry to rescue Sirius, but it was what we found instead of him that is the cause of Harry's problems. We found out about a prophecy. One that foretells the birth of someone who would put a permanent stop to Riddle and the war." Hermione said, looking at Harry out of the corner of her eyes as he continued the story.

"Me. He interpreted the prophecy without knowing its full contents and decided that I was the Chosen One who was going to kill him, and he has been trying to finish me off ever since." Harry said.

"It doesn't matter that the prophecy is probably false, and even if it's true, it has already been fulfilled." Hermione continued.

"He won't stop till either of us is dead. So I have to fight him, whether I want to or not." Harry said.

"And I will be with Harry, for the simple reason that I can't stand to lose him. And with the way we are linked, it would probably kill me too." Hermione admitted.

Emma and Dan were continuously turning from Harry to Hermione and back as they spoke. Emma shook her head after they finished.

"You really have covered all your bases, haven't you? And can I assume that nothing your father and I say will change your mind?" Emma asked, to which Hermione shook her head resolutely. Emma sighed and gave her a weary smile.

"Alright, we won't stop you then. I only ask that you be as careful as you can." Emma said. Dan looked at her with wide eyes.

"Emma you can't be serious! She's not even seventeen! How can you-" Dan started indignantly, only to be cut off by Emma.

"Allow this? Simple. There is no choice. I don't like it Dan, not any more than you do. But Hermione will be involved in this, if not by choice, then simply because of who she is. A muggleborn. Even if Hermione decides she wants no part of this, the other side won't bother with that, they will be after her life regardless." Emma said. Dan stared at her for a long moment, but then gave a resigned sigh. He turned to regard Harry closely.

"Alright. But you better understand I'm holding you personally responsible for her safety." Dan said in a deadly serious tone. Harry spoke before either Hermione or Emma could protest against this.

"I promise I'll protect her the best I can. She means too much to me." Harry said, just as serious. Dan just nodded at him, satisfied with the promise.

Hermione gave him a watery smile and kissed him on the cheek, careful not to display too much affection in front of her father, who it seemed was finally warming up to Harry.

'_Though all bets are off when he leaves.' _Hermione thought.

"Alright then, let's put aside this dreary topic for now. Hermione, have you told Harry about our vacation yet?" Emma asked.

"No, not yet. I forgot about with everything that's going on." Hermione said.

"Well, fill him in on it today. We'll be back around seven, and then we need to pack for tomorrow. Is that okay?" Emma asked.

Harry and Hermione both nodded as the elder Grangers stood up, with Dan giving Harry a look that said he still didn't fully trust him around his daughter.

Harry turned to Hermione and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

"See? Told you it will be fine. They weren't too mad, were they?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded with obvious relief, leaning into his side.

"So what do you want to do today?" Hermione asked Harry after her parents left for their clinic. Harry, in return, gave her a meaningful look, making Hermione roll her eyes.

"Is that all you think of? No. Don't answer that. How about we watch a movie instead?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded happily and followed her into the house.

Over the next few hours, they spent their time acting like regular teenagers who were very much in love and alone at home, though Hermione did manage to get in an hour of homework. Harry never complained though since she incorporated, at least in his opinion, an excellent reward system.

Tonks stopped in at lunch to let them know that she would be back that night since she had to report in to Headquarters about her mission and also to tease the teens a bit.

The elder Grangers arrived home at seven to a quiet house. They headed inside and saw Harry and Hermione reading in the study, with Harry spread out on the couch with his head on Hermione's lap.

Harry immediately sat up straight when he noticed Dan and Hermione ran to hug her parents. Dan shot Harry a suspicious look over Hermione's shoulder, which morphed into a sheepish grin when his wife smacked his arm.

"Behave Dan. You two continue whatever you are doing. I'll call you down when it's time for dinner." Emma said before walking out, dragging a reluctant Dan with her.

"Looks like your father doesn't hate me as much anymore." Harry observed. Hermione laughed lightly as she assumed her earlier position with her feet in Harry's lap.

"Oh Harry, he doesn't hate you at all, you know that. He's being a little overprotective is all. He'll be fine once he gets to know you better. That's actually one of the reasons for this little trip." Hermione said.

'_Yeah that, and getting to see you in a bikini.'_ Harry sent over their bond, making Hermione blush.

"Hush Harry. By the way, where is Sirius? He didn't come here last night and I forgot all about him." Hermione said.

"Oh don't worry. He said he had some important business to take care of after he reported in at Headquarters. He'll be here soon before tonight though." Harry said, though he had a good idea that the important business might involve a certain Head of the DMLE.

'_I think so too. But if he left us all alone and unprotected just to go on a date, he's going to be in trouble.' _Hermione thought.

'_You mean you didn't notice the Order Guard outside?' _Harry asked surprised.

'_Really Harry. Only wizards and witches ever dress in robes in the middle of summer. I was just talking about Sirius being his usual irresponsible self.' _Hermione sent back, making Harry chuckle.

"Oi pup! You two decent in there?" Sirius' voice came from outside the study suddenly, startling both the teens. Hermione blushed once the implications sank in.

"Come in Sirius. And no more wisecracks." Hermione said, sighing. Sirius entered the room grinning happily.

"What's got you so happy? You're not going to try and prank us, are you?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Oh no no. You don't have to worry about pranks, at least right now anyway. It's... Well..." Sirius trailed off, sighing dreamily.

"Amelia Bones?" Hermione asked with a smirk on her face. Sirius nodded happily, a huge grin crossing his face.

"Ugh. I think I can guess what happened. And we don't need to hear about it." Hermione said as she shook her head. Harry's eyes widened as he understood what Hermione was talking about over their bond.

Sirius sighed again, goofy grin still in place.

"Alright, wipe that look off your face. What did you want to talk to us about? Or did you just come to gloat?" Hermione asked.

"Both actually." Sirius said, still grinning widely, making Harry and Hermione roll their eyes in unison.

"Here ya go." Sirius said as he pulled a small booklet out of his cloak and tossed it to Harry.

"Passport." Sirius said in response to the unasked question from Harry. Hermione turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Having the Head of the DMLE as your girlfriend helps, and so does being the head of a Noble and Most Ancient house. Being friendly with the goblins helps too." Sirius said, shrugging.

"Thanks Sirius. Now could you please skip the gloating? Neither of us wants to know about it." Harry said as he looked over the passport. Sirius just pouted and stomped off.

"You're no fun!" he shouted once he was out of the room, and both the teens rolled their eyes and chuckled before going back to their books.

* * *

A/N: Alright here's chapter ten. I know it's been almost two weeks, but I was out of town, and then I was running around the whole city for admission to University. Hope you like this! If you find any mistakes, then PM me. Next chapter will be the vacation to France, and then begins training and more about the Horcruxes. Oh, and to those who had questions about Dumbledore recommending Sirius for twenty years in Azkaban, it was a _trial, _not an exoneration. So he had to recommend some sentence, like he did for the rest.


	11. Chapter 11

**Ministry Six **

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belong to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters, places, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

"Are you sure we're safe?" Sirius asked Hermione who was sitting beside him.

"For the last time Sirius, yes!" Hermione said through gritted teeth.

"Look at Harry! He's not so nervous is he?" Hermione asked, gesturing towards her boyfriend who was sitting beside her, doing a very good impression of a five-year–old on Christmas.

"Yeah. Sure." Sirius said, gulping.

They were currently strapped into their seats in a British Airways airplane that was sitting on the runway waiting for clearance to take off. Sirius, being a pureblood, had no idea of the concept of airplanes before he had seen one at the airport. He was extremely nervous about the flight to Nice and had been continuously pestering Hermione about it. She had happily given him several lessons on airplanes and everything she knew about them, which was a lot, but had gotten fed up after the tenth time.

Similar to Sirius, Harry had never flown by airplane before, but unlike Sirius, was really excited at the idea. It had been just one more addition in the long list of reasons as to why Hermione was going to enjoy hexing the Dursley family into oblivion when she got the time.

"Look at it this way Sirius. Once you get through this, you have topless beaches awaiting you." Tonks said from behind them. It was little wonder Sirius cheered up immediately.

"Yeah, then we can take pictures of Sirius ogling the girls for Amelia. It's too bad she can't come herself because of her work." Harry said sorrowfuly before giving Sirius an evil grin. "I'm sure we could mail them though."

This had the effect of getting him far more nervous than he had previously been, much to Hermione's chagrin. Harry and Tonks chuckled and Harry went back to looking out of the window.

Seconds later, the airplane started taxiing down the runway, and Harry turned to look at her with a massive grin on his face.

"This is fast! Much faster than a Firebolt!" He exclaimed and went back to looking out of the window.

"Yes. This is how human beings are supposed to fly. Safely ensconced in a huge metal machine with thousands of safety precautions, not on a thin piece of wood with bristles at the end." Hermione said leaning her head back. Harry stuck his tongue out at her before going back to his window, which now had a spectacular view of London.

"I still don't understand how you are so comfortable on a plane. I thought you were scared of heights." Harry said after a while.

"Honestly Harry. I just don't like flying on a broom because they have no safety precautions. If someone attached a seat belt to one, I'd be perfectly willing to fly." Hermione said as she rested her head on his shoulder. Harry snorted, prompting Hermione to smack him lightly in his chest.

"Quiet you. I'm trying to rest. We got up far too early today." Hermione said as she yawned. Harry grinned at her and wrapped an arm around waist, pulling her as close as he could, given that they were in different seats. They closed their eyes, intent on trying to get some rest.

Unfortunately for them, they ran into a bit of turbulence. Sirius whimpered softly and poked Hermione in the back to get her attention, making her groan in frustration.

"Sirius, I swear if you bother me one more time." Hermione hissed, but was interrupted by a quick flash of red light. Sirius immediately slumped in his seat. Hermione and Harry turned around to look incredulously at Tonks, who was sitting beside a bemused Dan and Emma.

"What? I was getting tired of his whining. And look at it this way, he'll find it easier to go through this unconscious." Tonks said innocently as she stowed her wand back inside the arm holster. Harry shook his head in amusement and turned around, as did Hermione after a quick thank you.

A few hours later they were touching down in France and after ennervating a surprised Sirius, they collected their luggage and walked out of the airport. Tonks heaved a sigh and removed her hand from her purse, which Hermione guessed had just been clenched around her wand. She looked at Tonks questioningly.

"Sirius. I wasn't sure he would get through customs safely. You remember he was wanted even in the muggle world right? And his trial was only day before yesterday so the muggle government doesn't know about his innocence yet." Tonks explained as they walked to the parking lot to collect the car they had rented.

"Tonks, the Sirius Black, mass murderer, that people were on the lookout for was a deranged, smelly, dirty madman who was dressed in rags and looked like he had spent several years in prison. You can easily see the difference if you compare that with this." Hermione said as she waved her hand towards a clean shaven Sirius, who was dressed in camouflage shorts and a flower print shirt. Even his hair was properly cut and coiffed. Tonks nodded her understanding but still had something to add.

"Doesn't stop him from being slightly deranged though." Tonks said as she helped stow the luggage in the trunk of the SUV they had rented.

Dan drove them to the hotel where they would be staying for that week. They had booked rooms which had a great view of the beach. Dan and Emma claimed one bedroom, with Hermione and Tonks sharing one room and Harry and Sirius sharing another.

It was decided that day one would be used for nothing but rest, and the group spent the day lounging around the pool. The next few days would be devoted to exploring the city and visiting the beaches.

Sirius, being a pureblood, nearly had a heart attack at all skin on display the first time they visited a beach. He spent the day trying not to stare too much just in case Harry and Tonks really did send word to Amelia. Tonks especially had fun continuously teasing him, since Harry was far too busy looking at Hermione in a bikini.

Dan kept a close watch on him, but Emma managed to frequently distract him, at least enough that Hermione didn't get too mad at her seemingly overprotective father.

Despite the fact that he would vehemently deny the fact if asked, Dan was secretly pleased that Harry's attention was focused on Hermione. He couldn't help but respect him for that and although he wanted to keep his little girl locked away and safe, he had to acknowledge the fact that the two teens were in love. He had carefully observed them anytime he could and had come to the conclusion that they were serious about each other, even without the magical bond thing they had, and he accepted that Harry would probably end up being his son-in-law done day. His wife had been really pleased with him when he admitted this, and he had been thoroughly rewarded for it. None of it meant that he would be giving Harry an easier time though. It was a father's duty, after all, to scare the living daylights out of his daughter's boyfriend.

They explored Nice for the next few days, and were surprised to find several magical establishments scattered all over the city. It turned out that France did not have only one dedicated magical shopping district like Diagon Alley. They did have one, but it was more of a village like Hogsmeade which was on the coast.

Harry and Sirius were relaxing one night after dinner with Hermione and Tonks in the girls' room. Dan and Emma had already retired for the night. Harry and Sirius were playing a game of Wizards' Chess with Hermione and Tonks cheering them on. Harry was soundly thrashing Sirius, having had years of practice against Ron.

They were interrupted by an owl pecking at the window. Tonks got up and opened the window, letting the tawny owl in. She retrieved the letter and the owl immediately flew away without waiting for a reply.

"Who is it for?" Hermione asked, since Harry and Sirius were still focused on their game.

"Sirius." Tonks said as she held out the letter. Sirius looked up in surprise and accepted the letter from her, his face brightening when he saw who it was from. He quickly opened it and read it through, before smiling widely. He looked up to see the other three giving him impatient glances.

"Well?" Hermione asked.

"It's from Amelia. The new Minister for Magic has been chosen!" Sirius said gleefuly. Everyone sat upright at this.

"And who is it?" Harry asked, since Sirius had gone back to the letter and didn't look like he was going to say anything else.

"Amelia of course!" Sirius said, looking back up.

"She actually took the job?" Tonks asked, surprised. Sirius nodded and looked at her questioningly.

"She always used to act like she hated dealing with the bearaucracy. She said that she only joined the Ministry because she was interested in the DMLE. That's why I'm surprised." Tonks explained.

"It actually makes sense for her to take the job then." Hermione said thoughtfully. "You had told us before that you had had problems with the Minister trying to cut the budget for the DMLE, reducing the recruitation, and what not. If Madam Bones becomes the Minister, the DMLE wont have that problem anymore. And she can do a lot more as Minister for Magic than she could as Head of the DMLE."

"Like properly cleaning out the Ministry." Harry added.

"Increase funding and recruitment for Aurors." Hermione said.

"And she's not corruptible like Fudge." Harry pointed out.

"She will also make sure that the Ministry doesn't cower and let Riddle and his Death Eaters run amol like last time." Hermione said.

Sirius held up his hand before Harry could open his mouth again.

"Okay, one, that is annoying. Two, those are the exact reasons she took the job." Sirius said. Tonks nodded thoughtfully.

"I suppose. Does she say who the new Head of the DMLE is?" Tonks asked. Sirius shook his head as he scanned the letter.

"She says she hasn't decided yet. We'll know when she does." Sirius said. Tonks nodded and Sirius turned back to Harry, who currently cuddled up with Hermione on the couch.

"Now pup, how about one last game?" Sirius asked.

"Face it Sirius, you don't stand a chance." Harry said as he waved him off and turned back to Hermione.

"Oh get a room." Tonks said as she threw a pillow at the teens. They looked at each other, shrugged, and ran out of the room as fast as they could.

"Wait! I didn't mean that literally!" Tonks said weakly as the door to the boys' room slammed shut.

* * *

While Harry and Hermione were vacationing in France, back in England the atmosphere was far more somber. The war had started in ernest and every day there was news of a Death Eater attack.

The self proffessed Dark Lord Voldemort sat in his chambers in Malfoy Manor, which he had commandeered for his own use months ago, pondering over the events of the last few weeks.

His attempt at obtaining the prophecy had been a disaster. He had been forced to intervene when his Death Eaters failed and Potter had almost escaped.

However, the battle had not gone the way he had intended it to and he was forced to retreat when faced with the overwhelming odds, but not before he had taken several major injuries. He had been stymied by the 'light side' using lethal curses and hexes against him, something he had never really expected. As such, he had had to take time to recuperate, and wait for a while before making any move in retaliation.

The fact that the news of the battle was splashed all over the Ministry in explicit detail did not help his disposition. The loss was bad, but the knowledge that six children, who had not even passed their O.W.L.s, had managed to hold off and defeat a dozen of his better Death Eaters was worse.

His spies in the Ministry had reported back to him on the trials, and when he recieved the news of the death of Bellatrix, who had been his best lieutenant and strongest Death Eater, he had been absolutely furious. The poor messenger had lost his life when he went on to tell him that Bellatrix was only one of those who had been sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss.

The news of Fudge's resignation was expected. The buffoon had been ranting about how Potter and Dumbledore were plotting against him and lying about the Dark Lord's return for a year. Then Voldemort had shown up in the Ministry atrium abd proven him wrong.

Voldemort had hoped to plant his own puppet Minister when he got the chance, but Fudge had vacated the position earlier than expected, thereby ruining his plans.

Now Amelia Bones of all people had been chosen as Minister. The woman was well known for her hatred of anything remotely connected to Voldemort or his Death Eaters. She had lost all but one of her family to them, and carried a massive grudge. There was absolutely no way she could be swayed to his side.

And if he knew anything about her, the first thing the damned woman would do as Minister was eliminate any and all followers of his. That could not be allowed if he was to stand any chance of taking the Ministry.

In short, Amelia Bones had just found herself at the top of Lord Voldemort's hit list. He had been planning to get rid of her this summer anyway, and the plan for the attack had already been prepared. All he needed was to collect some of his followers, and the attack could be launched in an hour.

It was time to get this hurdle out of his way before any damage could be done. Then he could focus on Dumbledore and Potter. And when they were gone, no would be able to stop him.

"Wormtail! Get me Yaxley!" He shouted.

* * *

In another manor in Britain, which was comparatively far less forbiding, a red haired young girl looked up from her homework as she felt someone enter the wards.

In an instant, she was up and heading for the front door. She raced down the hallways and reached the door as it opened.

"Auntie!" she shrieked as she hugged the older red headed woman who had entered.

"I just got the owl! Oh I'm so happy for you!" She said as she pulled back, bouncing on the balls of her feet. The older woman grimaced as she pulled off her cloak and handed it to the house elf who popped in.

"Thank you Misty. And Susan please calm down." Amelia said as she led her neice to the sitting room.

"But auntie you just became the Minister! That has to deserve some kind of celebration!" Susan insisted, to which Amelia shook her head as she accepted a cup of tea from her House Elf.

"Or are you just waiting till someone gets back from France for that?" Susan asked innocently. Amelia sputtered a bit as she turned towards her smirking neice.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." Amelia said as she tried to hide her blush behind the teacup.

"Don't worry, you're secret is safe with me." Susan said with a smirk as she stood up. "Just a small suggestion, next time you have Black over remember to use silencing charms."

Amelia blushed furiously, which was really out of charachter for the normally stoic woman. But being teased by your sixteen year old neice about having a boyfriend over was not something she normally dealt with. Susan laughed at her as she dodged a pillow and turned step out of the room

But then all levity was forgotten in an instant as both of the felt a spike in the wards. Someone was trying to bring them down, and that could only mean one thing.

Death Eaters had come calling.

* * *

A/N: Alright there's the eleventh chapter. I know I'm taking longer than usual to update but I can't help it, I finally got into Uni and that's been taking up a lot of time. So the vacation is on, and Dan is warming up to Harry. But nothing ever goes that smoothly and the problem now is Voldemort choosing to attack Amelia early. I apologise in advance for the cliffhanger, but I wanted to have the attack and the immediate repurcursions as a separate chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

**Ministry Six**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belong to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters, places, etc.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

_But then all levity was forgotten in an instant as both of the felt a spike in the wards. Someone was trying to bring them down, and that could only mean one thing._

_Death Eaters had come calling._

Susan turned back to Amelia with a fearful expression on her face. Amelia immediately pulled her wand out of its holster and Susan immediately copied her.

Susan had known this would happen sooner or later when she had heard that Voldemort had returned to his body. Her aunt was the Head of the DMLE and a powerful witch in her own right. It was guaranteed that he would want her gone so that he could have one of his people in her place. Now that she was the Minister, she was a far bigger target. Susan knew that that was the reason her aunt was reluctant to take the top job.

Amelia pulled out the badge she still carried from her Auror days and tapped it in a rapid pattern that signified an emergency. This would alert any Aurors on duty that one of them needed help, and they were duty bound to respond as fast as possible.

Technically speaking, she was not supposed to have it now that she was not one of the Aurors anymore and neither was she their boss, but they had decided en masse that she should keep it a while longer. As Minister she would have her own dedicated Auror guard soon enough, and then the badge would be obsolete.

Amelia finished sending out the S.O.S. and turned to a now terrified Susan and offered her hand to her.

"Come here." Amelia said, and Susan immediately scampered over to grab her hand. Amelia led her out of the room and headed to a window in the passage that overlooked the gardens.

Sure enough, there were at least two dozen black robed figures outside the Manor walls. All of them were firing an assortment of spells at the wards, trying to overpower them, but they only had limited success as the wards had just turned yellow so far. They had until the wards were red, signifying imminent failure, before they would have to abandon their home and try to escape.

Amelia turned to Susan and regarded her carefully. If anything, she was paler than before, which was frankly understandable. They were outnumbered a dozen to one, and unless back up arrived, they were in a very precarious position.

"Susan, look at me." Amelia said as she shook the girl gently.

"Y-Yes auntie?" Susan asked, still staring out the window. Amelia shook her a little more forcefully and Susan turned towards her.

"Okay Susan, I will need your help if we want to survive, you hear?" Amelia said, and Susan nodded jerkily.

"Now I know that you were in that little DADA group Harry Potter started last year right?" Amelia asked. Susan nodded, wondering what that had to do with anything.

"What are the most damaging spells you learnt?" Amelia asked, and Susan realized where this was going.

"The Blasting Curses. But won't they kill them if we use them on people?" Susan asked nervously. Learning those was well and good, actually using them to attack people was different. Amelia understood her hesitation and placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"We're not aiming to kill them. We just need to keep them distracted long enough for my Aurors to get here, alright? And if you are uncomfortable with those, you can a few weaker spells, but make sure they stay down when you hit them." Amelia said. Susan nodded her acceptance and took the window beside her aunt's.

Amelia vanished the glass in both and nodded to Susan. Both of them took aim and started casting towards where they could see the Death Eaters clustered.

Amelia's Confringo reached them first and blew apart the Death Eaters closest to the wall. Susan's spell hit immediately after but hit the ground after the Death Eater in its path dodged.

The Bombarda blew a hole in the ground, peppering the Death Eaters around with rocks and bits of earth. They immediately took cover behind the tree line which was a few meters away from the wall, trying to dodge the continuous hail of curses coming their way.

Amelia kept casting at whoever was foolish enough to stay out in the open, and had taken down four of the Death Eaters so far. Susan had taken down two, but those were the Death Eaters who were knocked out from her first attack.

A few of the Death Eaters tried to send back their own curses, but they were all stopped very effectively by the wards. The wards had stopped glowing by now, and were only lighting up every time they stopped a spell.

"Susan, keep casting. I need a minute." Amelia said as she pulled out her Auror Badge again.

Amelia tapped the badge, sending out the S.O.S. again, praying that the Aurors would arrive soon.

Susan meanwhile was keeping up the constant stream of blasting curses, forcing the Death Eaters to stay behind cover. One of the curses hit a tree, knocking it over. From the screams as it fell, it was apparent that someone had taken up cover behind it, and whoever it was had now been crushed. Susan winced at this, but kept up the pressure on the Death Eater.

Amelia started casting again as she stowed the badge away.

"Take a minute to breathe Susan. Don't tire yourself out yet." Amelia said as she observed the girl panting loudly between spells.

"Thanks Auntie!" Susan gasped as she leaned against the window frame, breathing deeply.

All of a sudden, the air started growing cold. Susan felt the coldness in her bones, and looked up at the sky in horror.

Sure enough, there was a veritable swarm of Dementors in the night sky. Even the stars were invisible.

Amelia looked up as she felt the unnatural chill seeping in and cursed vehemently as she saw the Dementors flying towards the Manor.

Amelia looked towards the Death Eaters in disgust. They were actually celebrating the arrival of the Dementors. She also noted that none of them had cast a Patronus, yet the Dementors completely ignored them. It was pretty damn obvious that the Dementors had joined with Voldemort, and yet another example of how Fudge's reign was costing Wizarding Britain.

"Expecto Patronum!" Susan shouted, and a silver hawk shot out of the end of her wand, jarring Amelia from her thoughts.

Amelia was surprised. She had not known yet that Susan could cast a corporeal Patronus. It looked like Harry Potter was definitely a remarkable instructor.

"When did you learn that?" Amelia asked as her own silver wolverine joined her niece's Patronus.

"Harry taught us! Everyone in the DA can do one perfectly!" Susan said with a brilliant smile.

The two Patronuses flew right at the swarm of the Dementors, scattering them in every direction. They then circled back, heading off the Dementors which were trying to sneak around.

Amelia cast a worried glance towards the Death Eaters who were by now regrouping. The injured ones had vanished, probably taken away by portkey. There were more than a dozen left, and now that Amelia and Susan were too busy dealing with the Dementors, all of them focused all their attention on bringing down the wards.

Amelia could see Susan tiring the longer she held up her Patronus. It was a difficult spell to master, and at Susan's age it was an impressive feat in itself. But holding a Patronus for so long against the horde if Dementors, especially after she had been continuously casting high powered spells for over ten minutes, would be draining for just about anyone. The hawk finally started flickering and looked much dimmer than it had at the beginning.

Finally, Amelia saw several figures Apparate into existence a few meters outside of the ward line. She was unsure of whose side they were on due to the distance and the darkness.

Her heart leapt when there were several loud shouts and the new arrivals started attacking the Death Eaters.

The Aurors immediately took cover behind the trees that were relatively undamaged by Susan's and Amelia's barrage as the Death Eaters fired back at them, now ignoring the wards as they faced a bigger problem.

The Aurors had split into two groups, one kept the Death Eaters engaged while the other cast the Patronus charm. Several different animals joined the hawk and the wolverine. The new arrivals were enough to tip the balance as the Dementors scattered. Two Patronuses were fine and could be dodged. A dozen of them trying to attack them at the same time, however, could not be ignored. The Dementors finally scattered for good, unable to bear the pain.

Susan immediately collapsed to the floor, breathing as if she had run several kilometers, the moment she saw the Dementors leave.

"Auntie. I think I'll take a break." Susan gasped. She took a few deep breaths as Amelia offered her an understanding smile.

"Take it easy, alright? I need to see if any of the Death Eaters were captured." Amelia said.

The fight between the Death Eaters and the Aurors had not taken too long. The Death Eaters had been constantly trying break the wards while defending themselves for the better part of half an hour, and that had cost them. The Aurors in comparison were fresh and well rested and far more skilled than their opposition.

The Death Eaters had not been a skilled lot, since Voldemort did not have enough Inner Circle members to spare, choosing to go with greater numbers instead. Yaxley had been the only Inner Circle member he had sent, and the man had been taken out right at the beginning by Amelia, who had immediately recognised him.

Voldemort himself had not shown up, and for that Amelia was thankful. She had no doubt that if the Dark Lord had shown up, she and Susan might not have survived the assault.

"Sure Auntie. You go on. I think I'll get some sleep." Susan muttered as she closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall.

"I'll be back in a while." Amelia said as she patted her shoulder. Susan smiled tiredly as Amelia headed to the staircase. She stopped as she had a thought.

"Misty!" Amelia called. The house elf immediately popped in before her.

"Yes Mistress Amy?" She squeaked.

"Can you make sure Susan gets to her bedroom? I'll be back in while." Amelia said. The house elf nodded and popped out.

Amelia sighed and continued walking down. Once outside the house she walked to the Aurors who were securing the few Death Eaters that were unable to escape.

"Shack! Report!" Amelia shouted as she spotted the tall dark skinned senior Auror.

"Minister Bones! Are you alright?" Kingsley asked as he turned towards her.

"I'm perfectly fine. Now report." Amelia said impatiently.

"Uh yes. We got only nine of them. There were three of them dead. And a few of them had portkeys, managed to get away before we could capture them." Kingsley said, gesturing towards where a few unmasked Death Eaters were stunned and bound.

"Uh boss, one of the Death Eaters who died? It's Yaxley." Kingsley said as he led her to the bodies. Amelia nodded thoughtfuly.

"I thought I saw him. Got him right at the start." Amelia said. Kingsley stopped before the bodies and Amelia walked around them, carefuly inspecting each.

"Yeah, its Yaxley alright. He's even got the mark." Amelia said as she nudged his left forearm with her foot.

"Okay take them all away. I want the ones that are still alive pumped full of Veritaserum and drained of all the information they can give." Amelia said to Kingsley, who nodded in confirmation.

"And I want Rufus and you in my office when I get there tonorrow. If we have one Auror who is a Death Eater, we can have others. We're going to start the clean up immediately.," Amelia said as they walked back to the gates of the Manor.

"Sure Minister. I'll have two of the Aurors stand guard just in case they decide to try again." Kingsley said.

Amelia nodded gratefully and walked back to the Manor. She immediately headed to Susan's bedroom to check up on her neice.

The younger redhead was already sleeping peacefully by the time she got there. Amelia watched her silently for a while to make sure she was fine, before gently kissing her on the brow and heading to her own bedroom.

She kicked off her shoes and slumped down on the bed, before her stomach rumbling reminded her that she hadn't had dinner yet.

"Misty!" Amelia called and her House Elf popped in.

"Yes Mistress?" She asked, bowing slightly. Amelia groaned in frustration.

"Are you ever going to stop that? No wait, don't answer. Could you please get me some food? I'm famished." Amelia said. The House Elf nodded and popped out before returning with a tray filled with food, which she set on a small table on the bed in front of Amelia.

"Thank you Misty. That's all." Amelia said. Misty nodded and popped back out.

A few minutes later, she felt something vibrate inside her robes. She pulled out an unremarkable looking mirror and tapped the center of the screen.

"Padfoot."

The surface shimmered and the smiling visage of Sirius Black popped into view.

"Hey Amy! Congratulations on making Minister! Now how about a little celebration when I- what's wrong?" Sirius asked as he noticed her tired and worn appearance.

"Oh nothing much. Just survived a Death Eater attack a few minutes-"

"What?" Sirius shouted. "Are you alright? You aren't hurt are you? Do you want me to come over?"

"Sirius! I'm fine! Calm down, will you!" Amelia said, exasperated. Sirius still looked doubtful, making her roll her eyes.

"Would I be sitting in by bed and talking to you while eating a steak if I was captured or injured by Death Eaters?" She asked rhetorically. "Relax. I'm perfectly fine. Just a little tired is all."

Sirius finally seemed to be calming down, but still wanted details. Amelia sensed this and smiled a bit.

"Two dozen of them. Nine captured, three killed and defintely a few more gravely injured, but they managed to get away. Dementors showed up too. That reminds me, thank that godson of yours for me will you?" Amelia said.

"Harry? How does he come in here?" Sirius asked, perplexed.

"Dementors. There were quite a few of them, and I don't think I could have held off those many by myself. Fortunately, Susan happened to be able to perform a perfect Patronus. Said Harry Potter taught her and a bunch of others in that club they had formed." Amelia explained.

Sirius nodded, realization dawning on him.

"Well he is my godson after all. What else could you expect?" Sirius said pompously, puffing out his chest. Amelia shook her head ruefully at his antics.

"Enough of that. You already have far too big a head. Any more and it'll burst. When are you getting back by the way?" Amelia asked.

"Can't get enough me, can you?" Sirius asked, giving her a lecherous grin.

* * *

"What? Are you telling me that my Death Eaters have failed me yet again?" Voldemort hissed in a menacing voice.

"Only four returned uninjured master. Many were captured, and a few of them were killed." Wormtail said, cowering before the Dark Lord.

"A score of my Death Eaters, taken out by two women? And one of them underage! Is that what you are trying to tell me?" Voldemort screamed.

Wormtail nodded, quaking in fear.

"Where is Yaxley? Bring him before me! He will learn the cost of failing Lord Voldemort!" Voldemort shouted.

"Yaxley is one of the dead my lord." Wormtail said shakily.

Voldemort's scream of rage could be heard across the Manor. It was followed closely by Wormtail's scream of pain as Voldemort took out his rage on the rat, using the Cruciatus to curse him nearly to insanity.

He lifted the curse a few minutes later, panting slightly.

"Get out of my sight, you filthy rat." He growled, and Wormtail immediately scurried away, not wanting to tempt his master's ire again.

Voldemort fell back his chair, cursing the fact that his body was merely a Dark Magic construct, and not a true human one. As such, a large portion of his magic was spent just to hold it together. This severely affected his recovery time, and was the reason he hadn't healed completely from the damage he had sustained at the Ministry.

If things had been different, he would led the attack on Bones himself. He had no doubt in his mind that he would have succeeded, but events had conspired against him. Now he had not only lost another Inner Circle member, but also several others.

He had been forced to send more of of his newer recruits against his wishes, since he had lost a lot of his Inner Circle members at the battle in the Ministry.

That battle. Everything came down to that same battle.

That was when things had started to go wrong for him. And the reason for that were six children, one of them his eternal enemy, Harry Potter.

He swore to himself that he would have his revenge on the six brats, one way or another.

* * *

A/N: Alright, there's Chapter 12. And really people, what on earth made you think Amelia would be dying?

Next chapter will be out in a few days. The clean up at the Ministry starts and Harry and Hermione return to Britain to begin training with the rest of the group.

And thanks for all the reviews!


	13. Chapter 13

**Ministry Six**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Potterverse belong to J. K. Rowling. I have no claim on any characters, places, etc.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

Amelia Bones woke up feeling exhausted. For a moment, she was unable to remember why, and then the memories of the night before came rushing back. She groaned as she sat up reluctantly.

"Misty." She called out sleepily. The House Elf immediately popped in.

"Yes Mistress Amy?" she squeaked.

"Is Susan awake yet?" Amelia asked as she rubbed her eyes. Misty nodded, her ears flapping.

"Yes mistress. Mistress Susy be having breakfast right now. Is Mistress be wanting Mistress' breakfast now?" Misty asked.

"No, I'll be down in a while. Just keep it ready alright?" Amelia said, yawning.

Misty nodded and popped out, leaving Amelia alone. She got off the bed and headed to the bathroom, desperate for a long hot bath.

Half an hour later, she walked down to the dining room, dressed in deep red robes . Her wand was stuck in her holster as usual, and she had her Auror badge in her pocket. All in all, dressed for a regular day at work.

"Hello Susan. How are you feeling?" Amelia asked, spotting her neice, who was sitting at the dining table nursing a cup of tea. Susan looked up at her blearily.

"Like I've been trampled by a rampaging Hippogryff." Susan said, grimacing. Amelia smiled sympathetically at her. Magical exhaustion was a lot like drinking too much in its aftereffects, and the hangover was definitely worse with the former.

"Do you need me to fetch a Healer?" Amelia asked worriedly. Susan smiled at her and shook her head.

"No, it's okay. It's not that bad really." Susan said as she took a sip. Amelia nodded as Misty popped in with some toast on a plate which she set in front of her.

"Well don't exert yourself today. Get lots of rest and make sure you eat properly. You'll need the food to get your reserves back up." Amelia said as she smeared the toast liberally with strawberry jam.

"Sure." Susan said as she finished the cup off. "What happened to the Death Eaters by the way?"

"We caught nine of them, and three were killed. Rest got away unfortunately." Amelia said as she grimaced.

"Oh."

Amelia looked up and saw Susan's downcast expression.

"Susan, you should know that it wasn't your fault that they got away. And neither was it your fault that a few of them got hurt." Amelia said soothingly.

Susan looked at her and Amelia could tell she was feeling conflicted. She got up and walked around the table to sit beside her. The Ministry could wait, she had to deal with her neice first. Susan had just taken part in her first life and death battle, and had caused a lot of damage to quite a few of her opponents. Her neice was a quintessential Hufflepuff, and this went against her usual kind and gentle behaviour. So it was to be expected that would be a little upset over the event.

"Susan, look at it this way. They came here with the sole purpose of killing both of us, and trying to cause as much damage as possible. We both know that the wards would not have lasted till the arrival of the Aurors. You know what would probably have happened to both of us if we were captured." Amelia said softly, wrapping an arm around the younger girl, who was shaking slightly, a stray tear making it's way down her face. Susan nodded slightly, sniffling.

"It was us or them, and I much rather prefer having you alive and whole, rather than some Death Eater. I couldn't have held them all back by myself, especially the Dementors. I know that you probably won't be perfectly fine immediately, but try to keep in mind that what you did, taking down those Death Eaters the way you did, will probably keep them from attacking someone else who might not be able to defend themselves." Amelia said, rubbing her neice's back comfortingly.

Susan calmed down after a while and pulled back from Amelia's embrace, giving her watery smile.

"Thanks Auntie. That actually helped a lot." Susan said quietly. "I think I'll go and get some rest now."

Amelia nodded as she let go of Susan. She watched the younger redhead till she was out of sight. Sighing softly, she turned back to her breakfast.

About half an hour later, she was ready to leave for the Ministry when she was stopped by a thought.

For the clean up she was about to initiate, she needed someone at her back who would be really experienced. She was going to have to go through her Aurors and make sure they were clean themselves first. And god help them if she found even one traitor in their midst.

Scrimgeour was a talented wizard and an excellent Auror, but he was more adept at leading raids and battles, much like Shacklebolt.

What she needed, was someone who would go through every little detail, not sparing anyone any scrutiny, and who had a knowledge of dark wizards and their ways that was unparalleled.

What she needed, was her mentor, back in the Auror Department.

A smirk appeared on her face as she pulled out her wand. Quickly casting a patronus charm, her silver wolverine appeared in front of her.

She gave her instructions and the patronus disappeared, leaving a trail of light behind it.

Grinning to herself, she turned on the spot, concentrating on the Ministry atrium, and vanished with a soft pop.

* * *

In another Manor house, albeit a far more decrepit one, a horrendously scarred man was sitting at a kitchen table, filling his companions in on the battle at Bones Manor.

"You have to be joking Mad-Eye! Two against two dozen?" A rather surprised Remus Lupin said.

Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody grinned at him, which was frankly a little disturbing most of the people present.

"Aye, two against two dozen. And the Amelia and her neice were winning too, from what I hear. Ruddy Dementors got in the way, or I'd wager that the Aurors wouldn't even be needed." Moody said, still grinning horrifically. "I trained the girl myself, and she was something else I tell ya. How do you think she made Head of the DMLE im her early thirties?"

Arthur Weasley looked at him, surprised.

"Early thirties? What are you on about?" He asked, confused.

As far as most people remembered, Amelia Bones looked to be in her late fifties by now, and it had only been approximately a decade since she took the position. Moody just grinned at them, refusing to give up his ex-student's secret. It was up to her to decide when to reveal it, although he did suspect it would be soon.

"Figure it out on your own." Moody said. Any further questions about the topic were halted by the appearance of a patronus wolverine in the kitchen. It headed towards Moody, who immediately focused all hos attention on it.

It came to a stop in front of him and stood up on its hind legs. Its mouth opened and it spoke with a very recognisable voice.

"Mad-Eye. Get to the Ministry. I need some help taking out a little trash." It said, staring sternly at him before dissipating into mist.

Moody looked surprised for a second before he started to chuckle, shaking his head.

"What was that about?" Molly Weasley asked.

"Amelia's doing the job that shouldn't have needed doing. The Ministry is going to get a kick up the arse soon, and if I know the woman, she'll be starting with her Aurors." Moody said as he stood up.

"Wait, what job?" Remus asked.

"A Ministry wide pest control, if you will." Moody said with his grin back on his face as he pulled on his cloak.

"I'll tell you all about it later." He said, then proceeded to stomp out of the room.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Ministry building, several meters below ground, Amelia Bones popped into existence at the Ministry apparition point.

The Atrium was quite deserted, as most people didn't come in to work till a few hours later. She grinned at the sight of the mutilated statue in the middle of the Atrium.

She had always thought it was an eyesore. After all, there was no way a goblin or a centaur would have that kind of a soppy expression on their faces, and especially when looking at a human wizard. And then Harry Potter and his band of teenagers had very helpfully removed it from existence.

Amelia walked to the end of the Atrium, nodding to the security gaurd, and quickly took a lift down to the DMLE level. It was significantly more crowded here, since almost all of the Aurors were present. The one exception was Nymphadora Tonks, but since she was on a mission Amelia herself had assigned her to, she was excused.

She walked to where her earlier office had been. As Minister for Magic, she now had a far bigger office, but it was on a different level. Also, she had not had the opportunity to secure it herself, and she was not going to take the risk of holding a meeting as important as the one she was about to in an unsecured room.

She briskly walked across the Auror Office, nodding to the gathered Aurors. All of them knew something big was happening. The Minister of Magic had been attacked in her own home yesterday night, and none of them had any delusions that this attack would pass without retribution.

Amelia reached the office of the Head of the DMLE, and pushed it open. Inside were Rufus Scrimgeour, now the Head of the DMLE after Amelia's appointment as Minister, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, who Scrimgeour had chosen as his succesor.

Amelia headed towards the seat behind the desk, which Scrimgeour had respectfully left for her. Sitting down, she surveyed the two men before her.

"You both know why I called you here. You know just as well as I do just how far the Death Eaters have infiltrated the Ministry. Fudge might have allowed this, what with Lucius Malfoy being his best pal, but I am not going to stand that scum walking these halls as if they own the place." Amelia said, pausing to judge their reactions. Both men nodded solemnly, silently urging her to continue.

"Now, I am going to start a systematic purge of all those who support Voldemort and his Death Eaters." She said, pleased to note that neither man flinched at his name.

"But for that to happen, I need to make sure that I have an Auror force whose loyalty is unquestionable." Amelia said, raising a hand to forestall Scrimgeour's protestations. "You know as well as I do that there is a chance, however small, that the Aurors have been infiltrated. I'm not taking that chance. Hell, just yesterday we found Yaxley with the Death Eaters attacking the Bones Manor. If there's one, there could be another."

Scrimgeour reluctantly nodded and kept his silence. There was no arguing against that logic.

"Good, so first step we take is to thoroughly check the loyalties of the Aurors. For that purpose, I'm bringing in a specialist." Amelia said, grinning.

At that very moment, the door to the office opened again, and Alastor Moody stomped into the room. He grinned at Amelia, and nodded to Kingsley and Scrimgeour. When he turned back to Amelia, he saw a wand pointed at his face.

"My real age?" Amelia asked. Moody nodded approvingly.

"Are you sure you want them to know?" Moody asked as he gestured towards the other two men in the room.

"Well they'll know soon enough." Amelia said as she placed her wand back in its holster, grinning at her mentor. Noticing Kingsley and Scrimgeour looking at her quizzically, she rolled her eyes.

"You'll have to wait for that." She said as Moody walked around the desk to stand beside her.

"Good to see you again Mad-Eye." Amelia said to Moody as he took his place at her back.

"No problem kid. You ready for this?" Moody asked, his magical eye staring through the wall at the Aurors assembled outside the office.

"Sure. The sooner we are done, the better. And don't call me kid." Amelia said as she got up from the seat. "I'm not a rookie anymore, you know."

Moody grinned at her as he followed her. Scrimgeour and Kinglsey looked at each other, then shrugged and followed Amelia and Moody.

"Alright, listen up. As you know, one of the first tasks you will be doing under my reign as Minister is the clean-up at the Ministry. What you don't know, is that the clean up starts here." Amelia said. "Lockdown."

With that one word, the wards around the Auror office that Amelia had set up slammed down. The Aurors looked around, surprised at the turn of the events.

"Not that I don't trust you, but recently one of you broke that trust. So I hope you can understand the need for this." Amelia said apologetically, receiving nods from those that knew of Yaxley's demise and confused looks from those that didn't. "Over to you, Mad-Eye."

With that Amelia moved back and Moody took her place in front of the assembled Aurors. It suddenly hit them who was going to be conducting the interrogations, making several of them pale.

Moody grinned terrifyingly, seeing them all squirm a bit.

"Now then, first things first. I want an oath…"

* * *

It was two hours later that the majority of the Ministry staff started arriving, and needless to say, they were all a little confused at the heavy Auror presence in the Atrium.

Moody had made short work of the interrogations, and thankfully, none of the remaining Aurors were in any way affiliated to Voldemort. A few had tried to protest against the administration of the oaths assuring their loyalty to the Ministry and its ideals, but ultimately capitulated.

About noon, the entirety of the Ministry's staff was in the building and they all felt a sudden disturbance.

There was a loud crashing sound, with the structure rumbling a bit.

Several startled workers started looking around, trying to find out what was happening.

About a minute after that, the voice of the newly appointed Minister for Magic started echoing around the Ministry building, and every last person present heard it.

"Good Afternoon. I am Amelia Bones, your Minister for Magic. I know a lot of you are wondering what is happening at the moment. Well the answer is actually quite simple. What is happening is we are cleansing the Ministry of Magic of all those who would wish to harm it, to subvert it for their own purposes. I am now speaking to those of you who believe in the ideals supported by one Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self-styled Lord Voldemort. You know who you are, and I know who you are too. Soon enough, you will find the full weight of the Ministry of Magic brought down on you. For so long, you walked these halls, thinking yourself invulnerable, untouchable, doing as you pleased. Well no more. And it's no use trying to fight your way out. As I speak, my Aurors are already making their way to you, and you can only evade them for so long. The Ministry, right now, is in full lockdown, and there is no way for you to leave, besides in a body bag. If you surrender, you will be given a fair trial. If you try to resist, my Aurors have permission to take you down with extreme prejudice. As for those who have remained loyal, fear not. I promise you that at the end of the day, you will find yourselves in your homes, safe and sound. Good day."

All over the Ministry, there were quite a few wizards and witches beginning to panic and look for a way out, ignoring the orders. They knew that if caught, they would be tried for treason or something similar. None had any delusions that Amelia would go easy on them.

A few fights started breaking out as those that didn't get the message tried to fight, but they were quickly brought down by the Aurors. In quite a few cases, the other staff also lent a hand.

By the evening, all those who had been ratted out by the captured Death Eaters during their interrogations, and those who were given up by the newly apprehended sympathizers and Death Eaters, were captured and placed inside the Ministry holding cells inside the Department of Mysteries.

The Unspeakables had been surprisingly helpful, going so far as to supply some of their own people as support for the Aurors. Amelia had fully expected this though, since she had had a chat with Algernon Croaker, Head Unspeakable, the day before. He had pledged his support the minute she finished outlining her plan.

At final count, nearly a hundred of Voldemort's people had been captured, a few of them marked Death Eaters.

Some had been expected, such as Walden Macnair and Theodore Nott Senior, and they had put up a decent fight but stood no chance whatsoever.

Amelia was sitting in the office of the Head of the DMLE, discussing the purge of the Ministry with Alastor Moody, Rufus Scrimgeour, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Algernon Croaker.

"All of them are secured? No chance of escape?" Amelia asked Croaker, who was in charge of the prisoners till their trial, seeing as they were being held in the Department of Mysteries.

"None whatsoever. All that you have to decide is when you want them ready for trial. I can have at least a dozen of them ready for trial by tomorrow if you want me to." Croaker said. Amelia nodded thoughtfully.

"Amelia, not to bust your bubble, but where are you going to be putting them after trial?" Moody asked. It was the one thing that had been bothering him the whole day.

"Azkaban isn't really safe, what with the Dementors defecting to Voldemort's side. For that matter, what about the Death Eater's already over there?" Moody asked.

Amelia grinned at him and exchanged a knowing look with Croaker.

"Mad-Eye, you didn't really think I would let those people be put in Azkaban without making sure it was safe, did you?" Amelia asked. Moody continued stare at her, waiting for a proper answer.

"Fine." Amelia said, sighing. "I didn't want it out yet, but we're using golems to guard the prison."

Moody stared at her, this time in shock.

"How did you get- No. Croaker being here says it all. How safe are they though?" Moody asked, turning to the Unspeakable.

"Very. I designed them myself. They are built from stone and completely impervious to magic of all kinds. Even a Reductor or Confringo or Bombarda would just splash harmlessly against them. Actually, as a matter of fact, it would only serve to recharge the things. So unless Voldemort gets a rocket launcher or an RPG, they should be indestructible." Croaker said.

At the uncomprehending looks, he added an explanation.

"They survive on magic, and they can survive on ambient magic in the atmosphere and what is given off by the prisoners. But if you hit them with a spell, it is the equivalent of giving a witch or wizard a pepper-up potion. So you cannot use magic to destroy them. And they are stone, so pretty damn sturdy. You can blow them up with muggle weapons, but I don't see the purebloods using those." Croaker said smugly.

All those present looked thoughtful. Amelia had known a bit of this, but not all of it.

"How many of them? And are you sure they won't turn on us?" Scrimgeour asked.

Croaker actually laughed at this.

"About a hundred stationed all over the island. I had them ready for years to take over from the Dementors, but Fudge would never listen to me. So when Amelia came to me, I had them ready to go in no time. And no, they can't turn on us." Croaker said, chuckling.

"And what makes you so sure?" Kingsley asked. "Even the Dementors were supposed to be loyal to the Ministry."

"Simple reason. Dementors have free will, they are sentient magical beings. The golems are just stone statues animated with magic, just like the ones at Hogwarts actually. It's where I got the idea. And they can only be given orders by the Minister of Magic, the Head of the DMLE and the Head of the Department of Mysteries acting together. At least two of them are required to change the orders. Right now, they have been set to guard Azkaban Prison and prevent prisoners from escape." Croaker said.

"That's actually quite clever." Kingsley said. Amelia snorted.

"Imagine Riddle's reaction when he tries to demand entrance because he is 'The Dark Lord Voldemort'. Should be interesting to watch him argue with a stone statue." Amelia said.

There were a few chuckles at that as they got ready to head home after a long, exhausting but productive day at work.

* * *

A/N: And we have Chapter 13. I know Harry and Hermione haven't been around much, and I haven't written much on the others of their group, but rest assured that all the six teens feature in the next chapter, which will be up in a few days.

The idea for the security golems I took from the seventh book. It always irked me that the Ministry would use Dementors. The statues at Hogwarts were a much better protective force. They were a little too easily destructible though, so I added the idea of magic just enhancing them instead of doing damage. That one I got from watching Thor hit Iron Man with a lightning bolt in the Avengers movie. 400% charge. Heh.

Let me know if you find any errors or stuff. Hope you like it!


	14. Chapter 14

**Ministry Six **

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter and the Potterverse do not belong to me, and if it did, Ron would never have been able to open the fabled Chamber of Secrets by making 'a horrible strangled hissing noise'**. **

Before you start, the Author's Note at the end has some important information. Read it.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Harry Potter ducked as the silver spell flew at his head. He was immediately forced to roll aside as another flew at his chest. Straightening up, he jumped, barely escaping a red light that struck thr ground. He twisted in mid air avoiding another spell, thanking Oliver Wood silently for his bludger-dodging skills which were the only thing keeping him from getting hit. He landed and immediately spun on his heels, another silver spell passing through the space his shoulder had so recently occupied. He threw himself to the right, dodging two red spells. He rolled as he hit the ground, a red light splashing the ground where he had been a blink of an eye before. Shooting to his feet, he twisted to the right, another red spell passing where his head had been.

Unfortunately, by this time he was quite out of breath because the constant movement, and lost his balance, falling to the ground. This only made things worse as the air was knocked out of his lungs. He tried to roll aside, but didn't manage it in time. He was hit by a red spell, and then all went dark.

Next thing he knew, he was looking into a pair of the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes he had ever seen, a familiar smiling face looming above him.

_'Flatterer.' _Hermione sent mentally as she caught his thoughts_._

_'What? It's true!' _Harry sent back. Hermione smiled at him as she dipped her head for a quick kiss.

"Oi! Snogging later! On your feet, Potter!" Came a woman's voice from behind Hermione. They reluctantly broke off and Harry glared at the source of the interruption.

A smirking, pink-haired young woman was leaning against the wall opposite him, twirling her wand between her fingers.

"I hate you Tonks." Harry shot at her as he got to his feet.

"Yes, well. I told you that you would. You do remember that Mad-Eye Moody was my trainer don't you? And I _was _his protege after all. What on earth did you expect?" Tonks asked, smirk still firmly set in her suddenly horribly scarred face. Both the teens shuddered at the sigh of a female Moody, but quickly composed themselves.

"Right, so you lasted for a full three minites this time. I gotta say, that's actually impressive Harry." Tonks said eyeing him critically.

"Guess Quidditch really does help here." Hermione muttered as she walked away from Harry.

"That it does." Tonks agreed, nodding. "Again!"

Harry immediately started dodging and weaving as a barrage of spells flew towards him.

It was about a week after Harry and Hermione had returned from vacation, and they were currently staying at Number 12, Grimmauld Place with Sirius and Tonks, who had been newly reinstated into House Black along with her mother, Andromeda Tonks.

Sirius had prepared a room, which he told them was magically secured for the purpose of experimental spell creation, for them to use when they began their training.

The training that they were going to get from the Order had just begun that morning.

Their first instructor had surprisingly been Tonks, and according to her, it was was her job to see to it that were in good physical shape for the magical training they would soon undertake and to see to it that good at defending themselves.

She had started by making them do a wide array of mild exercises, which weren't too taxing for Harry due to his Quidditch training, but completely exhausted Hermione. Then she had them stand against a wall and started firing spells at them, instructing them to dodge as best as they could. So far, Harry had been doing exceptionally well, and Hermione was still unable to dodge for more than a minute.

Unfortunately for them, they were the only victims the young Auror had, since Ron and Ginny would be arriving later that night, similar to Neville. Luna, as far as they knew, was still out of the country, but was going to be arriving in a couple of days.

After about an hour of being made to dance around stunners and stingers, Harry and Hermione were allowed a break by Tonks. By this time, Harry was panting hard, and Hermione was flat on her back.

"Alright that was actually a really good performance. Harry you were excellent, although you can improve a bit. Hermione, you were doing fine, but you will still need a lot of work." Tonks said bluntly.

Hermione nodded her acknowledgement, still too tired and out of breath to talk.

"Alright, that's all I'm going to make you do today. We'll be meeting tomorrow to continue this." Tonks said a she stood up. Both teens nodded tiredly.

"You'll have Professor McGonagall coming by later. And take a shower later you two." Tonks said as she walked away, chuckling at the affronted look on their faces.

Harry sniffed his armpits and scrunched his face in disgust.

"She's got a point." He said reluctantly, turning to Hermione.

"Right. Let's go take a shower." Hermione said as she stood up, muscles protesting from the workout.

Harry immediately blushed and a second later so did Hermione.

"Harry! Not what I meant!" She said, rapping him on the back of the head.

Harry grinned sheepishly at her as he followed her out of the room. They were in the basement, which also housed the kitchen in addition to the training room. They saw Sirius exiting the kitchen, and waved to him.

Sirius being Sirius saw their flushed faces and immediately jumped the wrong conclusion. He gave them a meaningful look and a lecherous grin before running off laughing as Hermione sent a stinging hex at his backside.

"Really! He drives me up the wall sometimes." Hermione huffed as the two teens followed him up the stairs.

Harry nodded in silent agreement. Any further conversation was interrupted abruptly as the doorbell rung. They couldn't hear the doorbell as such, it was more the reaction usually caused by the doorbell that led them to that assumption. The portrait of Sirius' mother was screeching at the top of her voice again, making them wince.

They walked towards the entranceway, noticing Sirius falling in behind them with an annoyed expression on his face.

"If its Dung again, he's gonna have it from me this time." He muttered.

They rounded the corner and stopped dead in surprise.

Of all the things they had expected to see, Luna Lovegood standing in the passage with her wand pointed at the portrait and a calm expression on her face was definitely not one.

She was muttering under her breath while gesturing with her wand, and a few seconds later she suddenly smiled widely before jabbing at the portrait.

It immediately fell silent, and Harry, Hermione and Sirius walked towards Luna to see what she had been doing.

She turned towards them and blinked in surprise, as if she had only just noticed them.

"Oh! Hello Harry, Hermione, Stubby." She said in her usual dreamy tone, smiling at them. Sirius let out a sigh of exasperation at the name. He had tried time and again to explain to the quirky blonde that he wasn't Stubby Boardman, but she absolutely refused to believe him.

"Hello Luna. What were you doing?" Hermione asked her, staring at the oddly quiet portrait.

"Oh nothing much. The Wrackspurts were infesting this painting so I decided to chase them away. I think it's much nicer this way, don't you?" Luna said happily, looking back to the painting.

"The what?" Sirius asked, not having experience with Luna's creatures.

"Wrackspurts. I'll explain later." Harry said to his confused godfather.

They all stared at the painting, which they now noticed was not only silent, completely still. They turned to Luna who was smiling at them.

"Hermione, why don't you show Luna to her room so she can put her things away?" Sirius said, snapping back to himself.

"Right. Come along Luna." Hermione said, pulling the blonde along with her.

With that Sirius went back staring at the motionless painting.

"I've known her for a year, and Luna still manages to surprise me every time I see her." Harry said shaking his head.

* * *

"So how come you're here early?" Hermione asked Luna as they reached the second floor.

"Oh we looked a lot, but we didn't find any signs of Crumple Horned Snorkacks. Daddy decided that it would be a waste of time spending any more than necessary, so we cut the expedition short. We're going to try in another country next time." Luna said as they walked along a corridor.

"Right." Hermione said sarcastically, not the least bit surprised by the answer.

'_Hermione be nice. Remember the Threstals?'_ Harry sent over the bond, sensing her sarcastic thoughts. Hermione immediately blushed a bit at being called out.

_'Alright alright. Sorry about that.'_ Hermione sent back.

"You're in here with Luna. I'm in the room beside yours. Oh and we have a shared bathroom so just make sure to check before you use it alright?" Hermione said. Luna nodded at her and walked into the bedroom.

"Hermione?" Luna asked as the older girl turned around to leave.

"Yes Luna?" Hermione asked, turning around.

"When is Ronald going to arrive?" Luna asked. Hermione immediately smiled at the blonde's expectant look.

"He'll be here by tonight. And his bedroom is the one just opposite yours if you wanted to know." Hermione said, hooking her thumb over her shoulder at the door behind her.

Luna nodded happily and went back to her work. Hermione shook her head and walked to her own room.

* * *

Later that night, five teenagers were sitting in the library, Ron and Ginny having arrived after lunch. They had just finished their extra Transfiguration training with Professor McGonagall, and were looking over a few books that she had suggested they read before their defense lessons with Mad-Eye Moody the next day. The doorbell rung, but unlike all the times before, it wasn't accompanied by the loud shrieks of the portrait of Sirius' mother.

Harry, Hermione and Ginny smiled gratefully at Luna, and Ron leaned over to her and pecked her on the cheek. Luna smiled serenely at them at resumed reading '101 Dirty Tricks to Use in a Fight' by Alastor Moody.

There were hushed voices downstairs and a few minutes later, the doors to the library opened and admitted a smiling Neville Longbottom.

"Hey guys!" He said happily as he sank down on the couch next to Ginny. Harry and Hermione were curled up together in a love seat beside the couch, and Ron was stretched out on another couch with his head in Luna's lap.

"Hey Neville! Here, read this for now and be quiet." Hermione said before she went back to staring intently at the book in her hand. Harry, having years of experience with Hermione when she got this way, motioned for a confused Neville to stay quiet.

"We're supposed to read these before our lessons with Professor Moody." Luna explained.

"So Mad-Eye's teaching you?" came a voice from the doorway.

All the teens turned to look at the source, surprised to see Augusta Longbottom standing at the entrance to the library.

"Yes Gran. Guys this is my grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. Gran, you've met Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny, and this is Luna." Neville said.

"So you're Lovegood's girl?" Augusta said as she moved into the room. "I knew your mother. I'm really sorry about what happened to her. She made an excellent Auror."

Luna's eyes, which were usually wide, widened even further, and Ron immediately sat up, wrapping an arm around the blonde, knowing that her mother was a difficult subject for her.

"You knew my mother?" She asked softly. Augusta nodded sadly as she sat down beside Neville.

"Very well, actually. I trained her myself, when she was at the Auror Academy." Augusta said, smiling gently at Luna. "She was a good woman."

Luna nodded silently and the others gave her a little privacy as she composed herself, with Ron helping a bit.

"You were an Auror?" Ginny asked a while later. Augusta's lips curved in a small smile at this.

"Yes. Retired a long time ago. Before that though, I was Alastor's partner." Augusta said. All the teens' eyes widened at this piece of information.

"Really? Why didn't you tell me before?" Neville asked. Augusta shrugged.

"It never came up. Alastor didn't mention me in any of his lessons two years ago?" Augusta asked, sounding almost offended.

"Um, that was an imposter, Barty Crouch Junior." Harry pointed out.

"Ah yes. I almost forgot about that. I'll have to remember to rub his face in it when I meet him. Bested by a novice. Hah! So much for his 'Constant vigilance'." Augusta said, eliciting chuckles from everyone.

"Say, you have a lesson with him tomorrow don't you?" Augusta asked, looking thoughtful. All those present nodded, and a small smirk formed on her face.

"Well how about this..." she said, and started laying down her idea, soon the teenagers were looking at her, surprised and quite a bit awed.

It was definitely going to be an eventful lesson tomorrow, although none of them knew exactly how true that statement would be.

* * *

A/N: And there's chapter 14. Shorter than usual, yeah, but the next part warrants its own chapter.

Why? Because it's time to go Horcrux Hunting! And we have a ring up for grabs.

Okay, one other thing. Starting with this chapter, updates will be slower than they have been. Not only do I have two WIPs now, but I am also starting college this coming week. My workload will be shooting up incredibly, and writing opportunities will be fewer.

However, you can rest assured that I will definitely NOT be abandoning the story, even if I post only once in every two weeks or so.

And for all those that reviewed the story, thanks a lot! I may not be able to reply to every review personally, but you can be sure that it helps. Especially if I get some good ideas.

And I'm really glad you liked my golems for Azkaban Idea. There will be more on them soon!

Thanks for reading!


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